


A Small World

by GryffindorQueen1



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Daddy Steve, Daddy Tony, Littles and Bigs, M/M, Mommy Bucky, Small Clint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-05-02 09:28:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 58
Words: 59,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14541711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GryffindorQueen1/pseuds/GryffindorQueen1
Summary: Bucky gives Steve one heck of a present.





	1. Found

The girl with soft brown hair sat on the bed, pouting slightly in the dark room as her innocent hazel eyes examined the room she had woken up in. She wondered where on earth she was, exulting in the warmth that surrounded her as it had been cold and wet when she had passed out in the streets after seeing the dark haired man. She blinked slowly and her eyes took longer to reopen each time, yawning as she laid herself back down and settled into the comfortable blankets that held a strong scent that relaxed her completely before slipping off to dreamland once more.

    Steve Rogers paced around, curious as to what Bucky was keeping from him. His eyes hadn't gone off of the other man in the ten minutes they had been in silence. “What’s going on, Buck? Are you in trouble?” He rested a gentle hand on Bucky’s shoulder as he finally broke the silence, looking worriedly at his friend who hadn’t been the same in years.

    “No…” Bucky was unsure of how much he should tell Steve, having felt the need to take the small girl to his home and having a feeling that he’d severely regret it if he didn’t. “I found someone… A girl… And I think she’s the one from the dreams you've been having.”

    “You kidnapped a girl?!” Steve looked horrified. “Bucky! You can’t just take girls!” He ran a hand through his hair, staring at the other man who shrugged innocently. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing and it showed on his face, eyes narrowed at James Buchanan Barnes on his sofa.

    “Did I mention she fainted?” Bucky added, staring at him blankly. “And she’s asleep in your bedroom right now.” He had decided to tell Steve all of it rather than just parts as the other man would’ve found out sooner rather than later.

    “What?” Steve stared at him for a moment, processing. “Why did you put her in my room?!” He truly believed Bucky had lost his higher reasoning ability, throwing his hands in the air.

    “It was closer?” Bucky had sat himself on the couch in the living room in the beginning of the conversation. This was a lie as Bucky had the floor that was two below Steve’s in the tower.

    “YOUR FLOOR IS BELOW MINE!” Steve exclaimed, flinching as he heard a whine from the direction of his bedroom at the sound of his shout. He drifted in the direction of the hall until Bucky spoke again, pausing in the doorway.

    “She’s a Little. And looks identical to the girl in your dreams. You know. The ones you've been having since a long time ago?” Bucky made himself comfortable, slipping off his boots and setting his feet on the coffee table. “I think it’s her this time.”

    “Buck… I can’t handle a heartbreak again.” Steve shook his head, drawn towards the room containing the girl though. He was at the opening of the hallway now, looking down towards the door at the end which was the entrance into his sleeping area.

    “Just talk to her. That all I can say. If you had seen her as I did at the time, you’d know. I know it.” Bucky laid himself fully on the couch, watching Steve. “Go look at her. That’s all I ask of you.”

    “Fine.” Steve sighed, resigned to humoring his friend and making his way down to the door to his bedroom. He paused, resting a palm on the dark wood and taking a deep breath. The blonde man slowly opened the door, making sure the hinges didn’t creak. His head poked in the room and his eyes focused on the lump on the bed, covers completely and snuggling his pillow. The super soldier slowly edged in the room nervously, shutting the door behind him and making his way to the bed. The room was dim, lit only by a small lamp in the corner and he navigated by memory for the most part. Steve sat himself on the edge of the bed, gently pulling the blanket off the girl’s face and gasping quietly. Bucky had not been wrong when he had said she looked identical, right down to the freckle at the base of her neck. The male leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the younger girl’s head and taking a moment to memorize the soft sounds of her snuffling in her sleep. “Shh, baby.” He whispered, stroking her hair until she relaxed again before tucking the blankets around her shoulders and leaving the room to go back by Bucky.

    “I told you.” Bucky could tell just by the look on Steve’s face that he had been right about the girl being the one they’d been looking for. The dark haired man checked his phone, seeing the date. “And we’ve officially passed where the dream usually ends too.”

    “Should we tell Tony?” The blonde wondered, sitting on the armchair near the couch. He wasn't sure how the owner of the building they lived in and a tentative friend would take the news.

    “Tell Tony what?” Tony Stark’s voice came through the room as the man himself entered the room. “Well? What have you two done now?” He crossed his arms, looking unamused at the other two men.

    “We found her… The girl that I’ve had those dreams about.” Steve spoke, unused to saying no when Tony had that look. It made him feel like a naughty kid in the principals office.

    “And?” Tony waited for them to continue, locking eyes with the blonde as he knew the other man would cave and tell him. He had ways of getting under Steve’s skin just enough to get him to tell him what he wanted to know, Bucky however he was not sure of yet.

    “BUCKY TOOK HER.” The fair haired male completely threw his friend under the bus. “I came back and he was here and he was acting super weird after he came out of my bedroom. And then he told me about the girl.”

    “Are you kidding me?” Bucky stared at Steve, blindsided that his best friend had betrayed him so easily. The former Winter Soldier flipped Steve off, fake offended look on his face.

    “Bucky… What did I say about taking random people?” Tony interrupted before a fight could break out. He already could hear the call from Phil, the other man probably going to ream him out for something Bucky did and he really did not find that fair.

    “It’s really her though, Tony! We both can feel it. She’s a Little.” Steve yanked his shirt off and showed the CEO of Stark Industries the rapidly darkening mark on his left shoulder. “See! It’s showing up.”

"Did you check her for a mark?" Tony drawled, looking at the other men. If they hadn't, he was going to shove his expensive leather shoe so far up their rear ends that they would taste shoe polish.

"I did. She had one in the same place as Steve's and it looked identical." Bucky confirmed. "She's a little and as soon as Steve came in the apartment, it darkened up considerably."

"We'll have to tell S.H.I.E.L.D. As you'll need to take time off to bond with her." Tony pinched his nose, sighing deeply. "I'll have JARVIS give you directions to anything you need." He left, forehead wrinkled in annoyance but yet he was happy for Steve.

Bucky left shortly after Tony, saying he was going to go work out and give Steve alone time to process.

The blonde man touched the mark on his shoulder, feeling a tingle and a sense of happiness at having his Little one. He set about making dinner after asking JARVIS to have some diapers and other needed things brought to him, using the quick order feature which meant one of Tony's poor employees would run out and get it for him. But it was best to be safe, knowing he'd have to get her comfortable with him.

The employee delivered the items he'd requested and left, all before he finished the meal of mac n cheese he was cooking. Steve washed his hands after he was done and heard a thump come from his bedroom. He dropped the plastic cup he was holding and ran to his bedroom, throwing open the door and going towards the bed.


	2. Lost

Steve found his Little sitting on the floor, crying quietly. He dropped to his knees in front of her and gently moved her into an upright position, smoothing a gentle hand through her hair. "Hey now. What's the matter?"

"Noooo." She scooted away from him, still frightened by the fall and the new surroundings as it was all very disorienting. The girl wrapped her arms around herself, curling in a ball and staring at Steve with fear on her face.

"It's okay. Are you hungry? I bet you are." He found himself talking to soothe her, sitting himself fully on the floor to make himself appear less threatening. "Let's go eat some yummy mac n cheese and hot dogs."

"Mac n cheese?" The female perked up, rubbing her eyes with her fists and squinting at Steve in the dark room. She liked mac n cheese a lot as it reminded her of when she was living with her friend who couldn't cook very well.

"Yup. Mac n cheese." Steve held a hand out, letting her take it before standing and helping her up. "You okay?"

"Ah... Thank you." She had clearly become Big temporarily. "I'm Kayla. Where am I exactly?"

"At my apartment. I'm Steve. Nice to meet you. I'm your Caretaker." Steve smiled at her adorably, pleased that she was calm and willing to talk to him.

"The last thing I remember was seeing some dark haired guy and everything went dark." Kayla rubbed the back of her head. "Are you sure about the Caretaker part?"

"Yes. Bucky checked our marks. They match." Steve casually took off his shirt and showed her the now vibrant mark on his shoulder. It was shaped like his shield, lines on it like the shield also.

"Well... This is weird..." The female mumbled to herself slightly, touching her own shoulder and looking at her own mark. "So? Mac n Cheese, yes?"

"Yeah." He laughed slightly, leading her to his kitchen and telling her what each room was. Steve stepped into the kitchen and stared at Peter who was perched on a stool and eating the rest of the mac n cheese. "Peter!"

"What? I was hungry. And Tony said I should come meet her. And that he'd be up soon." Peter finished off his food and set his bowl into the sink. "Nice to meet you. I'm Peter Parker."

"I'm Kayla." The short girl squinted at Peter, looking frustrated. "You shoulda asked." She sounded younger, a cute little scowl on her face .

"I'll make some more." Steve cut off what could possibly be bad as in a tantrum from one or both. Peter was Tony's Little, yet he had control on when he would slip unless he was very angry or upset or sick. "Let's get you something to drink, hm?" He smiled gently at Kayla and tried helping her into her seat.

"Not a baby!" She swatted his hands away before climbing in her chair which at the moment was a normal person chair. Steve was going to have to take a trip to IKEA or a similar store for furniture because he sure as heck was not going to leave his child unsecured in a chair.

"Feisty." Peter snickered, sitting back in his chair after being prompted by Steve. "What do you like to do?"

"Read. Watch movies." She shrugged, back to normal. "Mostly read. Or cook. Harry Potter is life also."

"There. All done." Steve had finished the second batch of macaroni and ladled it into a bowl with a plate with hot dogs next to it. "Here we are." He set it in front of Kayla and gave her a fork, grabbing a cup and filling it with milk. "Enjoy." 

"Thank you!" Her voice was muffled, mouth filled with mac n cheese already and she finished off her food before Steve was even halfway done. She had cheese on the corners of her mouth, picking up her glass of milk to wash down the stuff in her throat.

"Don't talk with your mouth full please. That's gross." Steve laughed slightly, handing her a napkin. He wished he had taken a photo of her little cheeks puffed with mac n cheese, looking like a chipmunk.

"Sorry!" She was out of breath slightly, having drank down her milk and had a milk mustache that disappeared as she wiped her face with the napkin.

"Peter, why don't you go find Tony?" The blonde questioned the boy who had been eating more mac n cheese.

"Okay!" Peter went off, heading right to the workshop where he knew Tony was most likely holed up.

"JARVIS. I don't want to be bothered. Can you block everyone from coming up?" Steve addressed the AI, wanting alone time with his new Little.

"I will lock your floor." The AI responded, doing as Steve asked. Tony had been tinkering with JARVIS' coding lately and making the AI able to have expression in his voice and currently the AI sounded amused.

Steve helped Kayla wash her hands, unable to keep himself from hovering which bothered her a bit but she understood though and tolerated him helping her. However she drew a line at him bathing her. The girl showered herself, washing away her stress and putting on her shirt and a pair of shorts that Steve had lent her. Of course she had to tie them tight and roll the top a bit to keep them up but it was better than sleeping in her jeans.

The medium brown haired girl got situated in the guest room, plugging her phone in once Steve had asked JARVIS where her purse was and finding it for her. Kayla sent out texts to her friends saying she was okay before falling asleep, exhausted by the day's events and needing to recharge herself so to speak.

Steve however was awake for two hours after, only falling asleep once he was sure she was completely asleep.


	3. Night Changes

Steve woke suddenly, feeling a twinge in his shoulder and getting up. He went straight to the guest room and found Kayla sitting in a wet spot and sobbing. "Dadadada." Her eyes hadn't even opened, yet she knew it was him which was proof of their bond beginning to develop even if it was just a minor one.

"Oh, Sweetheart." Steve hadn't wanted to push her into wearing a diaper when she had been Big going to sleep. "Come here to Daddy. Daddy will clean you all up." He scooped her up, disregarding the urine that ended up on him and carried her to his personal bathroom rather than the one everyone uses.

The young man set the tub to filling and gathered a wash cloth, changing supplies, and one of his shirts for her to sleep in. The blonde male set Kayla down, getting more tears and her calling for him. "Shh. Shh. Daddy is right here." He undressed her swiftly and set her into the tub.

"Nuh." Her eyes finally opened, trying to climb from the tub. "Dadada." She lifted her arms up, trying to get him to take her out. The upset Little didn't understand why her dada wasn't holding her, eyes full of tears still that threatened to roll down red cheeks.

"Not yet, Baby. Let me get you all clean." He wet the washcloth and started to clean her, feeling her holding onto him as best she could before he stood her up. He kept an arm around her waist and washed her with his other hand holding the wash cloth. "All done. Now to get my little girl dry and dressed." It always helped new Littles to be told everything about what their Caretaker was doing even if they had been shoved unexpectedly into headspace.

The super soldier stood after grabbing the towel and wrapping her in it. He dried her carefully and put the diaper on after carefully applying baby powder. "Dadaaaa." She squirmed, not liking the colder air as they went into Steve's room. She had been dressed in Steve's shirt which nearly swallowed her.

"We'll warm up soon, Love." He laid down, tucking her next to him and making sure she was covered. "Go night night now." Steve hummed a lullaby, getting her to slowly fall asleep. He fell asleep shortly after she did, relaxed from her contentment.

~Time Skip to Morning~

The girl is awake early, mumbling under her breath and slowly climbing off the bed. She slowly made her way down the hall, having escaped the sleeping man and stopped short at the tall dark haired man with a short beard. "DADADA!" She screamed, frightened by this new person. It would take a few days to get her secure enough to come back from her headspace from the abrupt way she had gone into it.

"Shh. Don't scream." Tony backed up slightly, not wanting to deal with an angry Steve. "God. Please don't scream. How about this?" He held out some toy from his pocket that Peter had probably put in there, a little Iron Man action figure.

"DAAAAAA." Kayla back pedaled and fell on her butt, blinking with wide eyes in shock.

"Sweetheart?" Steve came running, wearing just his boxers and a tshirt, and scooped her up. "It's okay." He rocked her gently. "What are you doing, Tony?"

"I came to see what you were doing." The Stark said, crossing his arms. "And found this one wandering around."

"She had a rough night so I thought she'd sleep longer." Steve rubbed her back and looked at Tony. "And did JARVIS not tell you that my floor is locked?"

"You forget who created him. My orders override yours." Tony snorted. "Peter said she got upset at him."

"He ate our dinner." Steve sighed before going and sitting on the couch, Tony in a chair nearby. "She was very excited for mac n cheese and he had eaten most of it." He felt a tugging on his shirt and looked down to see her chewing on the fabric. "Ah. No no, baby. Yucky." He tugged it free which made her tear up.

"Seems like she's very young. And I'd be careful on how you take care of her. It's going to be a lot of work." Tony looked semi-sympathetic while also amused. "I can have JARVIS order you bottles and other shit you need."

"Hey. Watch your language. There's a baby here." Steve scolded, swaying slightly until Kayla's eyes slipped shut and she slept with her head in the crook of his neck.

"She can't understand me." Tony snorted. "But fine. Be glad she's not Peter's age. Could you imagine two three year olds running around?"

"That would be terrifying." Steve shuddered. "Tony? Do you ever worry about Peter wanting to leave you?"

"I used to. But then I made myself focus on the now and how I feel when he calls me Daddy and asks me for cuddles. It makes the worry go away for awhile." The dark haired, bearded man was putting a lot of trust into Steve by telling him this.

"I don't want to get hurt again." The blonde held the girl in his lap tighter for a moment before melting as she mumbled nonsensical syllables in her sleep.

"We could have Bruce run tests. Because Caretakers aren't supposed to outlive their Littles if they're truly meant to be together. Especially with you being so strong really." Tony was excited by the prospect research.

"Are we sure it'd work?" Steve said dubiously, looking at Tony with sad eyes. 

"I'm sure. Bruce is wicked smart. You know that." Tony was still excited. "We could do it once you feel relaxed enough with her too."

"Maybe." Steve gave in, looking at his Little. "So... Small Peter will need to meet her at some point. And Small Clint."

"Play date one day?" Tony suggested. "Maybe one at a time though. She'd get overwhelmed with both at the same time probably."

"Sounds like a plan. Now. I'm going to change her and then make she and I some breakfast. You're welcome to stay though." Steve offered, always willing to feed other people.

"No. I need to get to work and get Bruce caught up to speed." Tony left to go check on Peter who was sleeping in Tony's bed as he had snuck in there during the night and then to Bruce's floor to discuss the research.

"He is questionable..." The blonde man mumbled, carrying Kayla back into the bedroom and laying her down. He had felt her diaper which was squishy and cold, which would lead to an unhappy baby if not changed soon.

"Nuhuhuh." The Little flailed slightly, cracking open her eyes to look at Steve with a pout.

"Yes, yes, yes." Steve chuckled. "Gotta get you clean!"

"Nuh dadada!" Kayla whined at him, trying to grasp his shirt and pull herself up.

"I know, I know. It's cold." He was wiping her up before powdering and diapering. "Boom! All done!" Steve stood up and then lifted her, leaving his shirt on her until he could get her some clothes. He carried her to the kitchen and held her on his hip while he made some oatmeal.

"Babababa." She buried her head in his neck, sucking on his shirt again.

"Hold on, sweetheart." Steve texted Bucky one handed, asking him to ask Phil and Tony if they had any bottles they could spare. He started feeding the Little some oatmeal and then ate some himself, letting her play with his other hand.

JARVIS announced Bucky’s arrival and Steve allowed him in, chuckling softly at his Little who was trying to eat his finger again.

"Phil had a few. But you'll need more." Bucky had a small box with like four bottles in it plus two pacifiers and directions to the store he got it from.

"Mamamama." A small voice startled the men, both looking down at the girl in Steve’s lap. Her eyes were zeroed in on Bucky’s face, leaning towards him.

"She just called you Mama." Steve was trying not to laugh at his friend's expression while keeping a grip on his Little to prevent a fall onto the hard tile.

"Mamama!" Kayla repeated insistently, thrusting her arms out to Bucky to take her. He shook his head, backing up slightly. Her eyes teared up and she sniffled, looking pitiful. "Mamama, Dadadada."

"Mama's just shy, Baby." Steve cuddled his little. "Bucky, can you make a bottle?"

"Yeah." Bucky didn't take his eyes off the girl until he had to turn around to make the bottle. His heart and thoughts were racing, conflicted emotions banging around. It wasn't long until the bottle was ready and Steve handed him the girl. "Steve?"

"I've got to shower. Feed her please." The Super Soldier left the room to ensure Bucky couldn't give her back.


	4. Freedom

Bucky mentally swore, holding the female in his arms before sitting down because he was worried that he'd drop her if he remained standing. "Are you thirsty?" He held up the bottle and got a squeal in response as the Little's hands reached for the bottle and he poked it into her mouth, while she was staring at him like he was the best thing in the world (besides Steve that is).

The small girl cuddled into Bucky, drinking from the bottle happily and resting her head on his shoulder. She finished the bottle and tried swallowing air which Bucky prevented by removing the bottle, much to her displeasure. She let him know this by screwing up her face and whining. "Maaaa."

"Hush now. It's all gone." He rubbed her back before leaning her against his shoulder and patting her back until she burped. "There... Now you won't have a stomach ache." Bucky let her cuddle into him, stroking her hair as softly as he could. He still felt nervous, worried he'd accidentally hurt her somehow and the man knew for sure he couldn't bear it if he hurt another innocent. Especially not this one who had already stolen his and Steve's hearts.

"Mamama." The innocent Little babbled, unaware of the dark turn her Mama's thoughts turn had taken but feeling the tension and sadness in Bucky increase. She lifted her head, hands grasping his face and she planted a slobbery kiss on his cheek. "Nuhuhuh. Nuh." She cooed firmly, pouting before he kissed her nose which earned him a giggle.

"You really are too sweet." Bucky couldn't help but smile slightly at how she had tried to cheer him up. He knew it'd be a learning process but he was willing to do it if it meant he and Steve could raise her together.

"Yuhuh!" Kayla seemed to agree with him, head on his shoulder again and put her fingers in her mouth. Bucky sighed slightly and gently tugged them out.

"No, no. Yucky." He stood, holding her securely with his metal arm and got a pacifier from the box before rinsing it in hot water to clean off germs. "This is much better. Open up. Ah." Bucky put it into her mouth after opening his own to get her to copy, watching her delighted expression at the new object. He turned as he heard a click from behind, keeping his back to the sound and his body shielding the female in his arms.

"Just me, Buck. Wanted a picture." Steve's relaxed voice came through the room to him and he looked over his shoulder right as Kayla caught sight of Steve.

"DADADA!" She nearly screamed, making both men flinch but mostly Bucky because his ear was right near her face. He hoped that would be a one time thing but knowing his luck, it would happen again at some point. Babies were loud little creatures and she was definitely a baby.

"Hi, Sweetheart!" Steve walked over to them, planted a kiss on Kayla's forehead gently and then got a glass of water. "You having fun with Mama?"

"Mamama." She nodded quickly, cuddling into Bucky more and grinning at the dark haired man. "Yuhyuhyuh." She began babbling at Steve, clutching Bucky's shirt and staring at the blonde man intensely.

"Is that so? I'm glad you had fun." Steve had no clue what she was saying but it was cute how excited she was and how much she loved Bucky. "And he gave you a pacifier?" He had caught sight of the pacifier in Bucky's hand.

"She was attempting to eat her fingers so yes. But she dropped it." Bucky set the pacifier on the table carefully.

"Thanks, Buck. You're a good man." Steve smiled at his friend before chuckling. "Looks like little one is all tired out again."

Bucky looked down, seeing her sleeping in his lap while still holding a handful of his shirt. "Must be you boring her to sleep." He joked, winking at Steve.

"Hey now. It's totally you." Steve snorted. "We should probably go lay her down again. They need to get used to not being held constantly."

"She needs to be changed first. Her diaper is full." Bucky stood up and followed Steve to his bedroom, cradling Kayla close to his chest while he walked.

"The empty room next door will be the Nursery. I'm already trying to think of cute things for her." Steve grinned, talking on and on about it.

"Why not ask Big Kayla what she likes? Then turn it for Little Kayla." Bucky suggested, laying the Little down on Steve's bed and stepping back to let Steve move in.

"That's a brilliant idea." Steve took over, cleaning and diapering the sleeping Little who grumbled slightly at being jostled. "Shh, it's okay." He soothed, rubbing her belly before finishing the diapering.

"You're so good with her already." Bucky was impressed, knowing Steve had mother hen like tendencies but this was all new for Steve.

"Ah... I read a few books..." Steve rubbed the back of his neck and then simply wrapping the girl in a blanket before tucking her in the bed between a few pillows and then leading Bucky back to the living room for a needed conversation between the two.


	5. Time

"So, Mama?" Steve couldn't help but tease Bucky, smiling still. "Why didn't you tell me that she was also yours?"

"I wasn't fully sure I should because for a Little to have two Caregivers is rare. And I didn't want you thinkin' I was trying to take something from you, Stevie." Bucky was looking at his hands, clasping them together.

"Buck..." Steve moved closer to his best friend, hugging him close. "Clearly we were blessed with sharing her. I get to take care of a Little with my best friend. What could be better?"

"That was real sappy, Stevie." Bucky snorted, hiding his face in Steve’s neck. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Bucky. Now. How about we order some stuff for her? Bottles, pacifiers, diapers, and wipes." Steve chuckled.

"Sounds good. I remember seeing  _Prisoner of Azkaban_  in her purse. So Harry Potter would be good." Bucky was actually excited by the prospect.

"Last night she told Peter that Harry Potter was life. So maybe a mural of stars on the ceiling and then Harry Potter scenes on the wall. Like Hogwarts and Black Lake. Bookshelves in front of the Forbidden Forest." Steve had so many ideas now, itching to start so he grabbed a notebook and began writing them down. He filled one page, front and back, with ideas for the room that would appeal to both Big and Little Kayla. "But what will we do until the nursery is done? Paint would be bad for her lungs."

"Stevie, Stevie. Slow down." Bucky laughed. "We have time. For now she can sleep with one of us. And she calls ME Mama. You should be Mama. You worry enough like one. Kinda remind me of my Ma."

"Yeah but I'm Dada and you are Mama so ha!" Steve laughed, laying his head on Bucky’s shoulder.

"Alright, alright." Bucky ruffled Steve’s hair playfully. "What do you say about checking on Little One?" He needed to and was already standing as he felt the twinge in his right shoulder.

"No need!" Steve jolted off the couch, seeing her wobbling her way down the hall. The two practically ran down the hall, Steve catching her just in time to prevent a fall. "Baby, what are you doing?"

"Mamama, Dadadada." Her eyes were looking at both Steve and Bucky, clinging to Steve’s neck with one hand reaching to Bucky which he gently held.

"Aw, Doll. It's okay. Did you miss us?" Bucky kissed her hand gently as he and Steve brought her back to the living room. "I bet you did. Missed Ma and Pops, huh?"

"How about some bonding time with the three of us?" Steve had read about the need to bond with the Little. "Babies like skin to skin contact. It soothes them and they learn the scent of their carers."

"Wouldn't that be easier in your room?" Bucky snorted, looking amused at Kayla who was chewing on Steve’s shirt again. "And your shirt is getting wet."

"Huh? Oh. Yuck, Baby. Don't do that. Looks like we'll have to clip the pacifier to her clothes." Steve turned and they headed to the bedroom, Kayla still with his shirt in her mouth.

"I heard Bruce and Tony talking about researching." Bucky was the first in and stripped to his boxers before taking their baby who cooed in contentment as Steve stripped also and sat down.

"Yeah. To make sure we don't out last her." Steve took the baby and undressed her, setting her in his lap facing him. Bucky sat between the other's legs with his own over Steve’s thighs and their baby cuddled between them. "The book said we should talk to her, reassure her about ourselves and let her get to know us in her way."

"Dadada." Kayla's head rested on Steve’s chest, listening to his heart beat while her Mama Bucky’s warm chest was against her bare back. "Mamama." She squirmed, wanting to see Bucky.

"Hold on, Baby." Steve turned her around and watched how her face pressed in the crook of Bucky’s neck. "I wonder if that's not one of the places our scents are strongest because she keeps putting her face there on me a lot too."

"Maybe. Steve, if I lose control...." The dark haired man was still anxious about hurting her, whether it be accidentally or not.

"You won't. Your instincts wouldn't let you." The man with gentle eyes reassured his dark hair companion once more. "I wouldn't let you hurt her."

"Thank you." Bucky calmed down, swaying slightly and chuckling as Steve joined him. The two rocked her between them, eyes locked on the small girl in their arms. "I could honestly use a nap myself."

"Sleep, Buck. You and her can cuddle while I order some stuff." Steve smiled gently, watching his best friend debate and finally give in as the darker haired of the two men moved and laid down. Steve Rogers laid the baby on him, tucked the blankets around them and opened his laptop with the screen darkened enough to not bother the other two.

~One and a Half Hours later~

Steve finished his shopping, having bulk ordered decorated Harry Potter diapers along with plain wipes. He had also ordered a bunch of plain singlets, onesies, socks and pajamas as he was saving the specialized stuff for after Big Kayla talked to them. He knew Bucky would prefer to make the furniture himself and he himself would paint the room.

Bottles, pacifiers, and pacifier clips were also ordered. "Steve?" A soft voice spoke up in the darkness and he realized who it was.

"Hey there. You came back sooner than we thought you would." He set his laptop to the side. Steve extracted her carefully from Bucky’s arms and let her curl into his side. "You okay?"

"A bit sleepy. What are you up to?" She peered curiously at the laptop and he showed her.

"Ordering some stuff for you. But we wanted to save the more specialized things for after talking to you. You love Harry Potter right?" Steve made sure the blanket was over her legs.

"I do love Harry Potter. Harry Potter themed nursery would be great. Steve? What about the stuff at my apartment?" Her voice was small, face upturned towards his.

"We'll have it brought here. Plenty of room." He felt her relax. "You okay though? You aren't downplaying anything?"

"No, I'm fine. I promise. Just a bit hungry." Kayla was scooped up and carried off to the kitchen.

"I could use some lunch too." Steve explained, setting her down and giving her one of his sweaters so she could cover up if she so chooses which she did. "Grilled cheese?"

"Ooooh! Yes please." Kayla grinned brightly, swinging her legs and then squinting. "I kinda remember a bearded giant this morning."

"You saw Tony. Got the fright of your little life too." Steve snorted, setting a grilled cheese cut into triangles. "He let you play with an Iron Man action Figure."

"Huh. I see." Kayla munched on her sandwich, watching Steve intently.

"You okay, Sweetheart?" Steve was grilling chicken for himself to make a salad.

"I'm fine." She didn't take her eyes off him, cuddled into the sweater he had given her to wear whilst ignoring the wet diaper around her hips.

"If you're sure." The blonde knew something was off but let it go for now. "If you give me your address, I can have JARVIS get some movers over to pack it up."

"I have some pretty delicate things I'd prefer to be handled by myself or some of my friends. They can pack my things." Kayla was stubborn, finishing off a second grilled cheese.

"That sounds good. Why don't you give them a call?" Steve suggested. "You can have them over too so Bucky and I can meet them."

"They've been my best friends since childhood. So I will." Kayla rinsed her plate off, put it in the dishwasher and went off to the guest room to call up her friends and to get some privacy.


	6. Friends

Steve was a bit worried about the girl, mentally comparing how she had been before (happy and cuddly) to how she was now which was cold and distant. He heard Bucky get up and waited for the other man to make his way to the kitchen. "You sleep well?" His eyes were focused on the part of Bucky’s hair that stood up from sleeping.

"You okay? Where's the baby?" Bucky’s voice was hoarse from sleep and he rubbed his face to wake up more.

"I'm fine. She came out of headspace earlier than expected but she's making a few calls to her friends to pack up her apartment." Steve finger combed Bucky’s hair to fix the mess.

"You're acting odd. Tell me what's the matter." Bucky commanded, holding Steve’s hands in a tight grip.

"She just... She was very distant and she wouldn't take her eyes off me but then couldn't get away from me fast enough." Steve’s head lowered, eyes sad.

"She was probably embarrassed by being Little. You know that the books say it's hard for Littles to adjust if they haven't been prepared their whole lives. It's difficult to give up control of their lives." Bucky ran a soothing hand through Steve’s hair. "Just give her time is all."

"You think so?" The blonde hugged his friend, feeling relieved. "Her friends will be bring the things over."

"Oh good. We get to meet them." Bucky was pleased about that.

~Timeskip to after the visit~

Kayla's withdrawl however increased even more after the visit and it had been a week since she was Little. She'd hide away from them and often times they'd wake up to her doing laundry at 3 am while smelling suspiciously like urine. They hadn't want to press the issue until they found her whimpering in her sleep while curled in a ball on the bed in the guest room.

Steve gently tugged the blanket down and lifted her up, carrying her to the nursery to put her in a diaper and some warm footie pajamas. "Buck, can you strip the bed again?"

"Yeah. We'll need to replace the mattress though." Bucky had followed Steve into the nursery. "I'll do it after we change her though."

The light haired man gently removed the girl’s underwear and flinched at the rash that coated her skin. "Dammit. Why wouldn't she tell us she's got this?" He fished out the cream and wipes, before changing his mind and simply removing her shirt and took her to the bathroom. The wipes would irritate her poor skin even more and he knew it was going to be rough anyways.

"She's stubborn like you. Doesn't want to seem weak." Bucky had returned and was filling the tub for Steve who set her in which startled the Little awake and she squirmed while screeching.

"Shh, shh. I know, Baby. Mama and I are so terrible for wanting you clean." Steve knelt next to the tub, holding her up with one arm and cleaning her skin very carefully but she still screamed as he cleaned the rash covered areas. "Dada has you. Don't cry, sweetheart." He finished up and emptied the tub after taking her out, wrapping her in an owl themed towel that had a little hood which he tugged over her head.

Her screams were slightly lessening in volume as he carried her into the nursery where Bucky had a diaper waiting. "Hey, Doll. You all clean?"

His only response was little cries, pitifully wet hazel eyes looking at him in an upset manner. "She did not like the bath. But the wipes wouldn't have felt good and I would have been hurrying to clean her and wouldn't have done a good job." Steve was talking softly, laying her on the changing table which brought about more sobs especially as he applied the specialized diaper rash cream that Bruce had created which took about three hours to work. He taped the diaper on her and tried to put the warm pajamas on her but she squirmed too much. "You need clothes, Baby." He could tell she was close to tipping completely into headspace.

"Here." Bucky had left silently and returned holding one of his own long sleeve shirts. "Try this."

The shirt was put on and her sniffles ceased slowly after Bucky put the socks on her. "You're a genius." Steve would kiss him if that wouldn't have complicated their friendship.

"I remember seeing it in one of the books. Littles need to be surrounded by their caretakers scent. Helps relax them." Bucky had lifted the Little up, bouncing her in his arms.

"Sir has arrived on your floor with Sir Coulson." JARVIS announced which led to two frustrated looks as they went to see what the other men wanted.

"Tony? Phil?" Steve spoke, standing in front of Bucky and their Baby. "What can I do for you?"

"We came to check on you and the new addition and to ask why no one informed me of Mr. Barnes also being the caretaker for her." Phil looked tired.

"It was a newer development and the past week we have been busy." Steve was defensive, eyes hardening.

"It was just a question is all. We'll put him in for time off also." Phil raised his hands in a non-threatening gesture. "Now. How is the little one?"

"Stubborn." Bucky answered, moving to where they could see him and Kayla. "She's been refusing to go into headspace until today when it happened accidentally."

"She's got a bad diaper rash too from not changing herself and having accidents at night but now we've got her back in diapers and she's in her headspace." Steve added, wrapping his arms around Bucky and Kayla. "For now at least. She's stubborn."

"Sounds like it. Was she okay after I scared her the other day?" Tony was looking at the Little.

"Yeah. She mentioned seeing a bearded giant when she came out of headspace. I suppose to her you were giant." Steve looked highly amused. "But yeah. She was okay."

"Good. I didn't mean to frighten her. Peter's been itching to come and play with her but I've been holding him off to get you more time to settle which clearly you need." Tony snorted.

"Clint is curious too but he understands that babies are different from toddlers and need more adjustment time. Big Clint is also excited as hell and was talking about it nonstop." Phil chuckled.

"Give it another week or so. Hopefully she settles." Bucky was swaying, watching how their Little's eyes were looking at Tony and Phil curiously.

"Dadada." Kayla's hand reached for Steve’s shirt, grabbing a handful.

"Let's get you a bottle, huh?" Steve took the girl into the kitchen and Bucky took their friends to the living room. They all settled in for a chat while Steve was feeding the baby in the other room.


	7. Cuddles

Steve was cradling the girl to his chest with one arm and holding the bottle with his other hand. "There we go, sweetheart." He was quite sappy when it came to the Little, all caretakers got this way especially if they were new at it. The blonde pressed his lips to her forehead, laughing when her face scrunched slightly as she tried to look at him yet keep the nipple of the bottle in her mouth. "Drink up, Kayler."

The brunette mumbled around the bottle, touching her dada's face with one hand and tracking his mouth with her eyes as he spoke softly to her. The male smiled at her as she smiled back and he made faces, chuckling as she imitated them.

"What are you two up to? I can hear you laughing in the other room." Bucky poked his head in the room, eyes lighting up as he looked at the two most important people in his life.

"Watch." Steve set the bottle down and made a face at the Little who imitated it. "Good job!" He praised the girl, keeping eye contact with her.

"That is cute." Bucky had snapped a photo on his phone. "Finish up feeding her though."

"So bossy." Steve snorted, making a face at Bucky who flipped him off. "Not in front of the baby! Geez! We've had her for like two weeks and you're gonna teach her bad things."

"And she says I'm Mama." Bucky joked again, hugging Steve and then stealing the baby to finish giving her the bottle. "Go entertain Tony and Phil."

"Yes, Sir." Steve spoke jokingly, marching off to the living room and sitting down. "So. Play-date in a few weeks?"

"We can do it on the play-floor." Tony nodded. "So that way they can play and there's plenty of room."

"Bruce can check her over before that though. To make sure she's healthy." Steve mused aloud, tapping his fingers on his thigh. "She'll need her medical records transferred over and any booster shots she'll need. Plus starting her on her Little vaccines too which will be real fun." He sounded very sarcastic, knowing most Littles screamed while getting the shots.

"Poor kid." Bucky carried the small girl in and sat down, letting her recline against his chest and observe what's going on. "Stevie always hated shots too."

"Shut up, Bucky." Steve scowled, locking eyes with the other man who laughed.

"Dada nonono!" The girl screeched from her Mama's lap, scowling at Steve before cuddling into Bucky’s chest more and sucking on her thumb.

"She told you." Tony laughed at the other two while Phil chuckled. The man found it highly amusing at Steve being told off by his own Baby.

"I need to go check on Clint. He's going to wake up soon." Phil stood and left, heading to his and Clint's floor. He also wished to give the family more privacy, Tony however having no such considerations yet.

"Yucky, baby. Don't put your fingers in your mouth." Bucky was distracted, pulling the girl's fingers from her mouth and putting a pacifier in there instead. "There. More sanitary like this."

He earned some muffled babbling from behind the pacifier and a wet hand touching his lightly bearded face, which got pulled a bit. He ignored it though, focusing on how fascinated she was by his facial hair and then his nose was grabbed. "Mama!" Her words were garbled behind the pacifier again.

"Yes, Sweets?" Bucky tilted his head back to free his nose from little, sticky fingers and snuggled his little girl. He didn't get a coherent answer but he understood what she wanted as she flung her arms towards Steve. "Stevie, she wants you."

"C'mere, Pumpkin." Steve was trying to find a nickname he liked for the girl and took her into his arms before resuming his conversation with Tony while Bucky added input every so often.

Tony casually took off the watch he was wearing and handed it to the small brunette who had been watching it as the light glinted off. "Yuh!" Kayla held it with both hands. "Ha da!"

"Yes! You do have that! It is pretty, huh? Shiny?" Tony took the Little from Steve and held her, watching the processing of what just happened going through her face before she settled on a smiling face after Tony smiled at her. "She needs to be used to other people holding her too. Why don't you guys go shower or eat breakfast yourselves? We can entertain ourselves for a bit."

"We'll be in the other room." Bucky dragged Steve off before the blonde could protest, taking him for a shower and then breakfast.

~With Tony~

"Just us, Bean. You're a good girl, yes." Tony secretly loved babies and toddlers, be it actual toddlers/babies or Littles. So this was an excellent opportunity for him. "JARVIS, what is Peter doing?"

"Young Master Peter is showering, Sir. He will be doing his lessons soon." JARVIS responded.

"Can you tell him I'll see him in an hour to two hours?" Tony bounced the Little Girl in his arms, smiling at her giggles.

"I can, Sir." JARVIS announced, audio switching to Tony's floor and giving the information to Peter who thanked JARVIS.

"Ouch." The dark haired man winced as his hair was pulled by Kayla, hand flying up to get the fingers from his head before he lost a chunk of hair. "No, no. That's ouch, Bean."

"Nono? Ow?" She parroted, frowing at Tony's pained look before planting a drooly kiss on Tony's face.

"All better! So sweet." Tony was a sap with kids. "Hm.. Look at this." Tony pulled out the Iron Man action Figure again, making it fly around her and then let her hold it. The two spent Uncle and Niece time, letting Bucky and Steve take their showers and eat without having to worry about her.


	8. Shots

"I'm not a doctor though." Bruce sighed, scrubbing a hand through curly brown hair and looking put out as Steve stared at him.

"You have enough knowledge to be one. You're the only one we trust to do it. Besides, she needs to be comfortable with her other family." Steve appealed to Bruce's familial attachment.

"Fine... Only because she's my niece." Bruce caved after being stared at once Steve finished speaking. 

"Thank you so much!" Steve grinned at Bruce. "Let me text Bucky and we'll be back in an hour so you can read her records. They're in your email and here's a printed copy!" He slapped a folder down on Bruce's desk before leaving to go back to his floor.

~Back on Steve's Floor~

"You completely tricked him into agreeing, didn't you?" Bucky's in the middle of putting his hair up, taking advantage of their Little's current excitement over Steve being back. He'd gotten his hair pulled several times that morning and had lost a few strands of it to Kayla's little fingers.

"I just appealed to his love of family is all." Steve scooped up the girl as easily as if she really was a baby which mentally she was. "Have you been good for Mama?"

"Mamamaaaaa." Kayla looked at Bucky, twisting in Steve's arms. She grinned at Bucky, drooling all down Steve's arm.

"She's been pulling hair today." Bucky snorted, making sure all of it is up in the hair tie. "Took a chunk out of mine. Getting too old for this."

"You're 28. Not too old." Steve laughed, bouncing their baby in his arms and cuddling her to his chest. "Are you being mean to Mama and pulling his hair? That's ouch, Half-Pint."

"Ow?" The little brunette frowned, staring at her Dada while looking confused. "No no no ow?"

"That's right. No ow. Don't wanna hurt poor Mama." Steve nodded, keeping eye contact and rewarding her with a smile when she focused on him. "Are you ready to go see Uncle Bruce?"

"Bu?" The Little stared at Steve, looking puzzled but excited at going to see someone.

"Yes, Bruce." Bucky pressed a swift kiss to her cheek. "Let's get going." He pressed the button for the elevator and waited for Steve to carry their Little in while he carried her diaper bag which held a change of clothes and a new diaper just in case. This is why he was Mama and Steve was Dada.

"She's getting a check up and whatever else Bruce deems necessary." Steve winced as fingers pinched his face. "Tut tut! No No, ouch."

"Ow?" Kayla kissed Steve's cheek, trying to make her Dada smile again which worked and she got a kiss to the tip of her nose.

"Good girl, Half-Pint." Steve had decided Half-Pint was his favorite one out of every nickname he'd tried. "Here we are!"

"Bruce! We've arrived!" Bucky made them wait by the elevator until Bruce came from his little office to greet them.

"Hey you guys. This must be the little one." Bruce smiled at the Little girl who stared at him curiously. "Hello there. I'm your Uncle Bruce."

"Unc Bu." Kayla whispered to herself, reaching out and touching his face for a moment before curling back into Steve.

"I've got the little medic room set up." Bruce led the way to the room that was equipped with all sorts of things you'd find in a doctor's office. "Set her on the scale first and then we'll measure her height."

"Sit here, baby." Bucky helped Steve set her down and carefully held her shoulders without putting any weight on her or lifting her up. Bruce noted the weight and had them slip her shoes off before standing her up completely and he marked her height.

"Up!" Kayla demanded, frowning as she was set on the examination table.

"Not yet, Half-Pint. Uncle Bruce has to give you an examination." Steve soothed, sitting behind her and holding her upright. The rest of the examination passed easily enough and then came the dreaded part.

"Time for the S-H-O-T-S." Bruce spelled out, knowing it was going to be bad. He turned and got the first injection ready while Steve switched with Bucky because Bucky wanted to hold her.

"Hi, Doll." Bucky pressed a soft kiss to her temple while Bruce wiped the spot he was going to put the needle in with antiseptic. She whined, trying to pull her arm free but Steve held her wrist gently. "Don't move, Kayler."

"One. Two. Three." Bruce pushed the needle in on three and injected the liquid which made her scream, trying to pull free but unable to break free. Each of the following three injections passed in the same way and by the end of it she was sobbing hysterically into Bucky's neck, dripping drool and snot down his neck and onto his shirt.

"Shh, shh. Mama's got you. It's all done." Bucky rocked back and forth, moving her as he did and letting her cling to him. "I know. I know. It hurt, didn't it?" He received very upset sobbed babbling in response as he stood, keeping an arm under her bottom and one around her back.

"Poor Half-Pint... She really hates shots." Steve frowned. "Thanks, Bruce. We really do appreciate this."

"Anytime. Try this." Bruce returned with a pacifier coated in a sugary solution. "It should help." He held it out to Steve who gently touched Kayla's face, trying to get her to look.

"Half-Pint." Steve half spoke, half sang to get her attention which worked slightly as she turned her head to look at him. He gently prodded the pacifier against her lips and she opened her mouth, taking in the object and sucking before blinking at the taste.

"There. All better, huh?" Bucky rubbed her back gently, accepting the wipe from Steve and gently cleaning her face of the tears and other fluids. "Let's get you back to our floor, yeah?" Bucky found as long as he kept talking, she'd stay quiet. He carried her towards the elevator while Steve gathered their diaper bag and her shed clothing.

"Thanks again, Bruce." Steve followed Bucky and the baby quickly, stepping in the elevator with them and stroking the soft hair on her head. "My poor Half-Pint..." 

"Nuh, dadada." She muttered around the pacifier, swatting his hand halfheartedly while clinging to Bucky's shirt and turning her face into Bucky's chest.

"I think she's overtired." Bucky looked down at the top of the Little's head before at Steve who looked sad at being rejected by his Little. "Time for a N-A-P with her Dada since it's your turn."

"C'mere, baby." Steve carefully took Kayla who started whining softly as she was extracted from her Mama's arms. "Can you make a bottle?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you guys in there. Make sure to change her." Bucky smiled and disappeared into the kitchen to make the bottle, humming to himself and shaking the bottle carefully before heading the bedroom where he heard Steve cooing to their Little as he tried to rock her to sleep which she was having none of.

"Come on, Little One. It's sleepy time." Steve was pleading, rocking the stubborn Little girl and gratefully took the bottle before switching the pacifier for it. Kayla drank from it tiredly, rubbing an eye with her fist and trying not to fall asleep. The blond man's persistence in rocking and humming combined with the warm milk finally put her to sleep, milk dribbling from the corner of her mouth onto Steve's bare chest. "There we go..."

"I'll go put this in the dishwasher. Lay down and nap with her. You were up early." Bucky ran a hand through Steve's hair gently before taking the half empty bottle to the kitchen and dumping the remaining milk into the sink and rinsing it out. He returned to the bedroom to see Steve sleeping with their girl in his arms protectively and the dark haired man tucked the blankets around them before laying next to them and closing his own eyes to sleep for awhile too.


	9. Bouncing

Steve woke up from his nap to the sound of his Little grizzling from where she was laying on his chest, slowly opening his eyes to look at her and rubbed her back which startled her. She squawked, squirming around until Steve started humming to her and holding her gently. "Hey, hey. Shh. Dada's got you now. Your poor little arms hurt, don't they?" He sat up carefully, supporting her head as he moved.

The poor Little was red faced with tear tracks and drooling all over Steve again, bruised arms from the injections. Her little cries were more whines than actual crying though, letting them know she was unhappy and hurting. "Dadada!"

"Where's Mama, Half-Pint?" Steve noticed Bucky wasn't in the room and frowned slightly, flicking the lamp on and seeing a note. He held the Little with one arm and used his free hand to open the note which said Bucky had gone to work out for a bit and to have JARVIS get him if Steve needed anything. "Hm... How about a bottle, yeah? Get you something to drink to help your dry throat."

He got mumbles from her, her hazel eyes scrunched up still and fingers in her mouth. The blonde smiled at her cute pout and stood up, carrying her off to her nursery for a change and some new clothes because she'd gotten sweaty while napping. The daddy set his Little girl on her changing table and stripped her completely before wiping her down, listening to her whines pick up into actual cries.

The young man started a gentle massage after rediapering her, using lotion and started at her feet. He talked to her the entire time, massaging one leg and then the other before moving to her belly. Steve told her stories about Mama and himself, making sure to keep eye contact even if she looked away from him.

Steve Rogers was very gentle and careful with her little body, especially on her sore arms. "Nuh! Dadadada! Nuhhhh." She finally screamed, wanting to be held and accidentally kicking Steve in the stomach when she flailed her arms and legs.

"Oomph!" The young blond man may have been a super soldier but it still knocked the wind out of him. He rubbed his stomach and caught his breath before scooping up his small girl, cradling her close. "Shh shh. Dada has you. No more crying."

She nuzzled into him, sucking on air and turning her head towards his chest, searching for something. The blond seemed to realize what she was looking for and shifted her up more, away from his nipples which started a new round of crying. He frowned, rubbing her back and carrying her to the kitchen for a bottle.

"What's the matter?" Bucky’s voice was just loud enough to be heard over his Little's cries.

"Ah... She wanted to nurse..." Steve blushed as he explained. "I didn't let her."

"Ah..." Bucky took the Baby from him, bringing her to his bare chest. "Doesn't bother me if she wants to. There are things we can take to promote lactation if we so choose to do so." He watched her latch on, sitting on a chair to make it easier to hold her while she nursed herself on his nipple.

"If you want to. I'm not sure I would but if you want to, I'll support you." Steve stroked Bucky’s cheek before finishing the bottle for their Little who was going to need it soon as she realized she wasn't getting anything from Bucky’s chest.

"Thanks." Bucky took the bottle and poked it into the girl's mouth as soon as she unlatched from his nipple, preventing a meltdown. He kept eye contact while feeding her, promoting bonding. "Think Little Kayla knows the difference between male and female?"

"That is a good question... We could ask Nat to come see her." Steve mused aloud, watching Bucky feeding their Little Girl.

"Yeah. But we'll do it here, Stevie. Where Kayla will be comfortable." Bucky patted Kayla's bottom on the diaper. "Can you get a spit up rag?"

"Yeah. I'll be right back." Steve went to their little laundry room and got one out of the clean laundry, heading to the kitchen where Bucky waited. He handed over the purple spit up rag and Bucky burped their girl, watching a bit of milk come up onto the rag.

"There, all good now?" Bucky couldn't help but smile at the girl, holding her gently and then taking her into the living room. They had gotten an oversized bouncer for her to keep her leg strength, putting her in and watching her fuss for a bit before bouncing herself and batting at some of the toys on it. "Are you having fun?"

Bucky earned some adorable babbling from the Little who seemed to be entranced with a shiny ball on a stick that made noise if it was spun.

Steve sent a video to Tony with the caption 'Enjoying her new bouncer. Was a great idea. Thanks.'

~With Tony~

Tony checked his phone, chuckling and then showing Bruce who was currently brushing Peter's hair after bathing the boy. "Those bruises are nasty."

"She got four shots today in her arms so that's why. She nearly threw up from crying." Bruce responded, using a hair tie to make a little pony tail on top of Peter's head to keep his hair out of his eyes.

"Ouch... I remember you giving Peter his shots..." Tony frowned, rubbing Peter's leg before sending him off to his toys once the boy started wiggling. "Bet Steve and Bucky had a fun time." He snorted.

"Steve looked like he wanted to cry himself." Bruce was amused, pulling Tony into his lap for a cuddle while their Little Boy was playing.

 


	10. Experiments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been about a week since her shots. Three weeks since Bucky brought her to Stark Tower.

Bucky was nervous, hovering over his Little who was sitting on a blanket on the floor and cuddling a big stuffed Owl that looked like Hedwig from Harry Potter. Natasha was coming for a visit in about fifteen minutes and Bucky was worried over how the Little would react to this new person.

"Ma!" Kayla whined, turning her body towards him and nearly falling over which sent him hurrying to her.

"What is it, Sweet?" Bucky knelt down adjusting the things propping her up, smiling at the cute little pout on her lips.

"Da?" She was wanting to know where Steve was, reassured now that she could see her Mama that she hadn't been left.

"Dada will be back in a few minutes." Bucky kissed her forehead and leaned against the coffee table where she could still see him. The Little frowned at that, crawling over into Bucky's lap and trying to go under his shirt. "What's the matter, Sweets?"

He got annoyed babbling with the occasional Ma, Da, or Nuh coming up. The whole time she was trying to go under his shirt, pulling at it until Bucky took pity and simply removed it for her. They only had five minutes but Bucky frankly didn't care, wanting to calm his raging instincts to feed his Little.

"C'mere, Doll." The dark haired man helped her into a comfortable position, one arm under her and the other holding the back of her head gently. She snuggled into him, latching on and trying to nurse. He gently tugged his shirt on her, just resting it on her so she was completely surrounded by his scent.

The man felt an odd sensation in his chest, a sense of release and he heard his girl make a soft cooing sound before more suckling occured. It felt different this time, like they were actually getting somewhere with the nursing.

"Buck? You guys in the living room?" Steve's voice came from the front entry by the elevator and Bucky grumbled under his breath at the interruption. This was an important milestone and Steve had brought Nat over to their home.

"Let's do this another day. Something's happened." Bucky responded, never breaking eye contact with his Little Girl. He watched her eyes focus on him,  one small hand resting on his cheek.

"Bucky... Nat's leaving on a mission tonight. It has to be now." Steve led Natasha into the living room, only to freeze as he sees the position Bucky's in with their Little. "Is there actually milk coming out?" He knelt down next to Bucky, Natasha letting herself out.

"Mhm." The dark haired man had a cold tone when answering Steve, angry that Steve hadn't just listened to him.

"Mamam!" The brunette girl unlatched once the milk stopped from that side. She squirmed in his lap before being put to his shoulder, having her back patted to release an trapped gasses before being put to the other nipple. It took her a few tries to latch on but finally had success after Bucky helped.

"I'm sorry..." Steve frowned, still sitting by them and massaging one of their Little's feet when she stretched her legs out into his lap. He was always careful with her, making sure he didn't hurt her with his strength.

"Okay, Stevie. Can you go make lunch? She's about to go down for a nap." Bucky noticed how her eyes were fluttering shut and nudged Steve to get him to look. The blonde snapped a quick photo of them and set it at his home screen. "Steve. No."

"Steve. Yes. It was cute and I wanted a new homescreen photo." Steve smirked, locking his phone. "Now... Why don't we go put her to bed?"

"Hold on a minute." Bucky rose to his feet, careful to not jostle the mostly asleep little. She started suckling again briefly before stopping after a few seconds, turning her head more into Bucky's warm chest. The motherly super soldier carried Kayla through the hall to her nursery and laid her down with a blanket they'd had in their bed to cover it with their scent. He stroked her hair briefly before slipping a pacifier into her mouth, then slipping out of the room.

"She go down easy?" Steve was cooking lunch for them, humming slightly and swaying to the music from the radio.

"She was completely out as soon as I wrapped her in the blanket and put the pacifier in." Bucky couldn't help but hug Steve from behind, peering over his shoulder at what he was cooking. "Looks good, Stevie."

"It's just some soup from a can though." Steve leaned back against Bucky, smiling though. He was internally pleased at the compliment. "It'll be done in a minute. Can you grab two bowls?"

"Sure thing, Doll." Bucky released his hold on Steve and got down two bowls from the cupboard, setting them on the counter next to Steve before hunting down two spoons. He observed the blonde ladling soup into the bowls and then plopped the spoons in, carrying one bowl flat on his metal hand.

"Show off." Steve laughed at Bucky, carrying his with a towel around it. He set it down and then sat down with a glass of water. "It's so quiet..."

"I know." Bucky wasn't much for silence like this. "I don't like it..."

"So let's just keep talking awkwardly and hope it stops being awkward." Steve can be really blunt, blowing on his soup carefully.

"Stevie... Just wow." The brunet male just laughed before eating his soup while staring weirdly at Steve who flicked some water from his water glass at the other man. "Hey!"

"You were being weird." The blonde haired man stuck his tongue out childishly, doing it again before getting water splashed into his face too.

"Two can play at that game!" Bucky cheered quietly, making sure it wasn't loud enough to carry from the room.

"I won't take this lying down!" Steve laughed before getting grabbed by Bucky and pulled into a soft kiss, their first ever one. "Mm?!"

"Sorry. I just... I needed to." Bucky was an awkward guy now, blushing and letting go of Steve who stared at him for a good two minutes before leaning back over and planting a chaste kiss on his best friend's lips.

"No.. Don't apologize... I liked it." Steve smiled, going back to his soup. "What does this make us?"

"I'd... I'd like to be your boyfriend." Bucky spit it out, holding Steve's free hand in his flesh one.

"I'd like that... Boyfriends... That sounds so freaking cheesy..." Steve chuckled. "Think you could move onto my floor officially now though?"

"Yeah. I can." Bucky pecked Steve's cheek softly.


	11. Family

Bucky pressed a lingering kiss to Steve’s cheek, watching how a faint flush spread across the blonde's cheeks. He looked amused at how the other man was flustered by the affection.

"How long has she been down?" Steve turned his head and pecked Bucky on the lips, stroking some free strands of hair that had escaped the hair tie.

"About an hour. She should be up in thirty minutes to an hour." Bucky consulted his phone, letting go of Steve before leaning back against the back cushions of the couch.

"Ah." Steve let Bucky stroke his hair for a minute until the Brunet went to go work out. Bucky had the tendency to go work out while their Little napped.

The day passed quickly and all was peaceful for a good while.

~A month later. So a month and three weeks~

The fair haired man was so deeply engrossed in his book that he didn't feel the twinge in his shoulder from his Little needing him until he heard a thud and the sound of sobbing coming from the nursery. They'd forgotten to secure the bars on the crib.

Steve sprinted into the nursery and snatched his little up as she wailed, little face all screwed up as she cried. "Dada has you. It's okay, Half-Pint. I've got you." He bounced her in his arms, trying to soothe her and not getting anywhere with it.

The little brunette girl buried her face into her Dada's neck, soaking his skin and shirt with her tears, drool and snot. Her little head hurt and her bottom hurt too from falling.

"What happened?!" Bucky had nearly dropped the weights he'd been lifting on his foot as he felt a shooting pain in his shoulder while working out. He'd tossed them and ran back to their floor, panting harshly as he came into the nursery.

"We forgot to lock the crib bars and I think she tried to climb out." Steve was rocking their Baby, trying to get her calm enough to let go. "Look, Baby. Mama's here."

"Mamam!" The small girl wailed even more, looking up from her Dada's neck and staring at her Mama who held her after Steve handed her over.

"It's okay. Just a little fall." Bucky kissed her forehead gently, sitting in the rocking chair and bringing her to his chest. "Why doesn't Dada come tell us a story while you have some milk?" He was trying to distract the Little who sobbed against his chest and struggled to move away.

"Nuhuhuh." The girl's face was bright red and puffed up. She suddenly gagged, throwing up on Steve who had turned her in Bucky’s lap.

"Oh, Sweetheart." Steve kissed her head, ignoring the vomit on his shirt for now. "Does your belly hurt from crying?"

"Why don't you take her in the shower with you?" Bucky suggested, holding her long enough for Steve to take off his shirt and stand up. He handed her to the light haired man and took Steve’s puke covered shirt along with the dirty clothes hamper from the room to do laundry.

"Let's get you and Dada clean, huh?" Steve was remaining calm which helped her calm down. He snagged her freshly cleaned owl towel from the bathroom cupboard that held towels and then started the shower, making sure it wasn't too hot. He held her with one arm, shucking his pants and underwear off before undressing the Little and carrying her into the shower.

The girl calmed down as Steve washed them both, enjoying the water and being close to her Dada. Soon enough her head rested on Steve’s left shoulder which was out of the water, mumbling little nonsensical syllables and touching Steve’s face with one hand.

He turned his head and kissed her palm gently, smiling at her before shutting off the shower and reaching out to grab her towel first. He wrapped her up, tugging the hood over her head and then stepped out to one handedly wrap a towel around his hips. "All clean now. Let Daddy get dressed and then I'll get you dressed."

Of course he didn't really get a response other than a drooly kiss to his cheek and a coo of Dada from her, her nails pinching his skin lightly on accident which he shrugged off. It didn't really hurt him, just meant they needed to trim her nails again which would be so fun. "Love you, Half-Pint."

"Uhve oo!" She screeched, clinging to Steve’s neck. Steve himself was partially in shock, she'd never said much past Mama, Dada, Uhuh, Ow, No, and Nuhuhuh for the most part. Other words slipped past occasionally but never Love You. They'd been trying since she'd gone back into headspace to get her to say it.

"Uhve Oo!" She flailed slightly, scowling when Steve didn't say anything back.

"I love you too." The fair haired man snapped back into focus, nuzzling her gently to get the scowl to go away. "Let's go see Mama, huh?"

"Ma!" Kayla looked around as though Bucky would magically appear. She started calling for Bucky more when Steve laid her down to dress himself. He tugged on clean clothes and rubbed his hair dry for the most part, before swooping on his Baby and blowing raspberries on her stomach which caused loud giggles to erupt out of her.

"Now to get you dressed." Steve carried her to the nursery and laid her on the changing table, then diapered her with ease. He used a little safety strap to keep her from rolling off before going to gather her some clothes from the closet, choosing a cute singlet that said Daddy's Girl and some matching pants to go with. "Ready to get dressed? First your shirt." He undid the strap and sat her up carefully before pulling it over her head and putting her arms in gently.

"Nuhuh." The brunette Little whined, struggling to get out of the singlet. She rather liked being in just a diaper, pouting at Dada once more to show how displeased she was with this.

"You need clothes." Steve looked amused, kissing her cheeks soundly before buttoning the bottom and putting her pants on her before her socks. "Time to find Mama."

"Ma." The hazel eyes searched for Bucky as she was carried through the hall to the living room after checking the laundry room.

"Right here, Doll." Bucky looked up from the laundry he was folding and opened his arms. "She okay?"

"Yeah. Just scared her a good bit." Steve passed over the Little to her Mama. "Kayla, Love you. Love you, Half-Pint."

"UHVE OO!" She screeched once again, getting excited and wriggling in Bucky’s lap. Her eyes lit up as Steve praised her for being a good girl and obediently planting a kiss to Mama's cheek.

"She says Love you now." Steve was proud, taking up Bucky’s task of laundry. "Almost had a heart attack when she said it."

"Mamama." The girl whined, wanting Bucky’s attention and hitting his chest. "Ma!"

"No, no. Ouch. Don't hit, Doll." Bucky held her hands in his, lightly tapping the back of each one. It hadn't hurt him but he didn't want her hitting. It may not hurt him or Steve but it may hurt someone else.

"No, no. Ow." She frowned, cuddling into Bucky and kissing his cheek. The little female didn't like when someone said ow.

"That's right. Hitting is no, no." Bucky praised, stroking her dry hair before chuckling as she tried to latch on through his shirt. "Hold on, hold on." He stripped his shirt off, chucking it at Steve before leaning back and helping her into a comfortable nursing position.

"You two are something else." The blond man laughed, watching her nursing from his boyfriend.

"You just wish you were as cool as us." Bucky teased, no sign of the man who had been haunted by nightmares up until almost two months ago. "The playdate is coming up soon."

"Yeah. Next week Thursday." Steve nodded, finishing up the last of the laundry. That ended their conversation for awhile.


	12. Played

Bucky was watching their Little nurse, occasionally looking at Steve who was diligently folding all the clothing while humming some song that Steve knew. The blonde was pairing socks and putting them neatly into piles, making sure each was perfect.

"I can feel you watching." Steve didn't look up from the sock he was trying to find the mate for. "It's a bit odd, Buck. Just a thought."

"Not even sorry, Stevie." Bucky smirked, eyes lighting with mischief as he continued watching.

"What's it feel like? To be nursed from?" Steve was genuinely curious, looking at Bucky and Kayla. He'd finished folding the laundry now.

"Physically like a relief of pressure, like letting air from a balloon. Emotionally, it's a deep bonding moment. Like we're on the same wavelength really." Bucky had a small hand on his cheek and hazel eyes staring up at him. "I like it."

"I... Want to try feeding her." Steve spoke slowly, clearly flustered about telling him. "You two seem so close and I feel a bit unnecessary. Just today, I couldn't calm her down. She wanted you."

"Oh, Stevie. You are needed. And she loves you so much. She said Love You to YOU. She only said it by me because you told her you love her." Bucky gave Steve their Little to pat her back to free any trapped gas. "She loves her Dada very much. And if you want to let her nurse, go for it! Doesn't hurt to try!" He sounded just like he did before the whole Winter Soldier mess.

"Thanks, Buck. Really." Steve smiled sweetly, patting Kayla's back firmly enough to get her to burp. "I'll see if Bruce will give me the injection to lactate."

"Why not see if you're a producer? You may not need the injection. You ever felt any tingling in your chest when she cried? Not in your shoulder but your chest?" The handsome Mama asked, watching Steve who was automatically bouncing their Little on his knees and making her giggle.

"Yes actually. When she fell earlier, I felt it but brushed it off." The blonde was startled, remembering the odd sensation in his chest that he had thought was just from the adrenaline rush.

"Why don't you try and have her nurse at dinner? She's just eaten so it wouldn't help to do it now." Bucky was happy for Steve, glad to reassure him.

"You're great, Bucky." Steve leaned over, keeping his arms firmly around Kayla and rested his forehead on the other man's shoulder.

"Nah! Da!" The small girl whined, squirming around and trying to get Steve to keep bouncing her.

"Silly. How about some play time?" Steve set her on a blanket on the floor and put some toys out, shaking a set of plastic keys at her and handing them to her.

"I'll put the laundry away. I'll be right back." Bucky filled the laundry basket with the different piles and went to first the nursery and then the bedroom.

Steve felt a little hand tugging on his shirt and looked down slightly to see the Little holding out a toy to him with one clutched in her other hand. "Thank you, Half-Pint. Good girl for sharing." He took the toy carefully and watched her grin at him.

"Da!" The Little frowned at him, holding the toy in her hand and watching him closely until he started flying the toy around and making airplane noises. "Dadada."

"Zoom!" Steve exclaimed, flying it around before landing it on the coffee table. "Oh no. It's run out of fuel, Sweetheart. It needs a rest."

"Aren't you two precious?" Tony stood in the doorway.

"Unc Ny!" Kayla clambered to her feet, using Steve as a balancer before toddling her way over to the man.

"Uncle Knee?" Tony chuckled, hugging the Little who was about 120 lbs soaking wet. "Toe-knee. Can you say that?"

"No-Knee!" She clapped excitedly, planting a kiss on Tony's slightly stubbled cheek.

"Close enough." Tony shrugged, scooping up his favorite/only niece and hauled her back to Steve who looked anxious. "Think this belongs to you."

"Thanks." Steve took his small girl into his lap and cuddled her while Tony seated himself on the blanket next to Steve.

"Anytime. Anyways, you guys ready for the playdate coming up? Peter is very excited." Tony accepted the blocks she handed him before making a tower with them, chuckling as she kept handing him more until they were all gone and he had built a pyramid with them.

"A bit nervous but other than that, we're ready. I'm more worried about how she'll feel about being out of her comfort zone in a new place." The blonde admitted, turning a stuffed animal over in his hands a few times.

"She'll be okay as long as you guys are there." Tony patted Steve’s knee lightly before laughing as Steve got his face attacked by a drooly little mouth wanting to give her Dada kisses. "That's my cue to go. I'll see you guys."

"See you later." Bucky stood in the doorway, observing as Steve allowed their Little to give him kisses.

"See ya, Bucky." Tony waved before leaving to go back to Bruce and Peter.


	13. Tired

Steve's face was covered in drool from his Little's kisses and he wiped a hand over his face which made her burst into tears, startling the blond. "Hey, what's the matter?" He was oblivious as to what set his Little off.

Steve received upset babbling which were broken up by sobs. She was squirming in his lap, staring at him with a hurt expression. Her small hands pushed at his chest, trying to free herself from his hold which tightened.

"You wiped her kisses off." Bucky supplied helpfully from the doorway. "She gets upset if you do that."

"Why didn't I know this?" Steve grumbled. "Half-Pint, can you give Dada some more kisses? I was making room for it."

That got her attention and he soon had her pressing drooly kisses to his face again, occasional coos coming from her which made him smile despite the saliva on his face.

"I'll be right back. I need to run to the store." Bucky wanted to give them privacy, plus they needed things for dinner. "I'll be back in an hour or so."

"See you." Steve was careful to not say goodbye because they'd have a crying baby on hand as she got very upset at the word goodbye. He watched Bucky head out and then focused back on Kayla who was simply watching her Dada. 

The little girl was sulking now that Bucky was gone, calling for him loudly and looking around for her Mama. She didn't want just Dada, she wanted both of them.

"Hm... How about a snack?" He stood, lifting her like she was an actual baby. The light haired man carried her off to the kitchen and got some yogurt puffs, setting her in the highchair and pouring them on the tray for her. "Enjoy them."

"Nuh!" The tiny brunette chucked a handful at Steve's face, watching as they hit him. She soon ran out of ammo though and shrieked as Steve took her from the highchair.

"That was very naughty. You're going in timeout." Steve kept his voice stern, putting her in the playpen with no toys. "You'll stay in here for One minute." He held up one finger.

"Nuhuh!" The small girl screamed, trying to get out but failing as it was an adult sized playpen and she wasn't tall enough to get out. "Ow! Ow!" She kicked the bars before falling on her tush.

"No, no." Steve shook his head and sat on the couch, looking at his phone but watching out of the corner of his eye. After one minute was up, he got up and walked over to the playpen. "Are you done having a tantrum now?"

"NUH!" Kayla was on her back, flailing her arms and legs. Her face was red and scrunched up with anger.

"I'll leave you to calm down then." Steve knew it'd be bad to try and hold her while she's still flailing about but that he needed to stay close. He sat a few feet away on the floor this time, keeping an eye on her until she stopped screaming and sobbed loudly instead.

"Da! Dadada!" She was calling for Steve, rolling over onto her belly and pushing her self up. She scooted right up to the bars and held onto them, looking at her Dada with huge teary eyes.

"Are you done now, baby?" Steve didn't move from his spot on the floor, watching her. He got a pitiful whimper and her hands opening and closing in his direction. "Let's have some cuddles then."

The blonde scooped her up, cradling her to him and moved to sit on the couch. The very upset Little pressed her face into his chest, soaking his t-shirt once more. "Daddy loves you, Kayla. But you cannot throw things, Baby. That's No No." He stroked the soft hair with one hand, the other arm holding her in a comfortable position.

Kayla slowly calmed, laying in Steve’s arms and finally ceasing her soft sniffles after twenty minutes. Her little hands were still clenched on whatever parts of Steve she could reach, one hand on his shirt and the other on his arm.

"Are you ready for dinner, Half-Pint?" Steve noticed her sucking on the inside of her mouth, little cheeks making her look like she's making a fishy face. "Let's see what time it is."

"It is 5:00 pm, Captain Rogers." JARVIS spoke before Steve could look at his phone. "Sargeant Barnes is coming up in the elevator. He will arrive in one minute."

"Thank you, JARVIS." Steve smiled slightly, glad to hear Bucky would be in soon. "Now, let's get you fed and then bath time."

Bucky came in right as Steve was taking off his shirt with Kayla propped up next to him. "Gonna feed the baby?" He could tell something had happened.

"Yup. Then some pureed veggies, a bath and quiet time with Mama and Daddy." Steve confirmed, lifting the little back into his lap. She snuggled in, mouth going right to the closest nipple and staring up at her Daddy Steve who smiled at her so lovingly. The younger of the two men felt his heart clench at the love and trust in his Little's eyes as she fed from him, holding her just a bit tighter and feeling his emotions welling up.

The change in who fed her didn't even phase her, mostly because it was Daddy and she loved Daddy so much. Her baby mind liked how the light made Daddy's hair so pretty, getting distracted and stopping her suckling for a moment to reach a hand up to touch the shiny hair.

"Daddy loves you, baby." Steve spoke softly, gently taking the small hand and bringing it to his mouth to press a kiss to her palm. "My Little Girl. Daddy and Mama's pride and joy."

Bucky was taking a short video on a video camera, wanting to have it on tape forever. He stayed in the doorway though, letting them have their bonding moment before going into the kitchen to make dinner. He'd picked spaghetti, something simple that they liked.

Steve switched her to the other side when he felt a slight pain in his nipple, holding her close as she latched on to this side. "Next we'll have some delicious vegetables. Yum. Mm."

Her eyes tracked his lips as he was speaking, one hand holding onto Steve’s skin with sharp little nails that  _STILL_ needed to be trimmed. He was going to have scratches on his chest from the tiny claws that were his Little's nails, granted they'd heal quickly but only on him and Bucky. The super soldier's lips curved into a smile when he felt her trying to cuddle even closer to him.

"If you get any closer, Baby, you'll be inside Daddy." Steve chuckled, stroking his free hand along her back and helping her readjust again to a better position. "Daddy doesn't mind though. I love having you close and safe." He's cheesy again.

He finished up at about 5:28 pm, bringing her to his shoulder and patting her back until she burped. She cooed contentedly after Steve set her to face him in his lap, snuggled into his chest and entertaining herself by patting his chest while laughing at the sound it made.

"Dinner is ready!" Bucky called, a bowl of pureed green beans ready to be fed to the small one. He smiled as Steve and Kayla came into the kitchen by him. "Ready for green beans, doll? Your Daddy loves them."

"Uhve oo!" The girl got excited, bouncing in Steve’s arms happily before being set in the highchair and buckled in. "Nuh Dada!"

"You gotta sit here to eat, Silly baby. So you don't get an ow." Steve buttoned a bib on her, dipped the spoon in the green beans and brought to her mouth. "Yummy, huh?"

"Huh!" She effectively sprayed Steve with what was left in her mouth after she swallowed, legs kicking in joy at the good food. Steve wiped the green goop from his face with a napkin, chuckling.

"I think she likes it. Can you write it in her book?" Steve turned to look at Bucky who already had the book out. "Ooh one step ahead."

"So far she likes green beans, mashed potatoes, corn, peaches, banana, and apple. We really need to try her on more things." Bucky rattled off, putting the little book away and plating their food.

"I like it better when we can puree it ourselves though. Then we know exactly what's in it." Steve had fed Kayla half the bowl of pureed green beans before sipping his water, letting her tummy settle and then resuming his feeding of her when she tried to reach for the bowl which told him she was still hungry. "Do you think she's eating enough? I can't tell if she's gained or lost weight."

"I know, Steve. Maybe we should have Bruce check her over again too just to be sure, you know? He can check her up and give her the next set of s-h-o-t-s too." Bucky agreed.

"Has it really been almost two months since we got her?" Steve blinked, counting the days in his head. "Huh... It has been... Time flies I guess."

"Yeah. I remember seeing her the first time and when she fainted, my heart about stopped." Bucky reminisced. "I brought her home to you.'

"You put her in my bed and then weren't going to tell me." Steve snorted, setting the empty bowl in the sink before wiping her tray down and giving her some yogurt puffs. "You were going to let me find her and then we got told off by Tony for taking a random girl."

"And then he found out what she was to you." Bucky chuckled.

"And you weren't going to tell me that she was yours too." Steve spoke softly, remembering that conversation.

"But I did and I don't regret it. This family is the best thing to happen to me in a long time besides you guys rescuing me." Bucky held Steve’s hand quick before the two adults started their dinner while their Little ate her yogurt puffs and a bit of the tomato sauce which made her face wrinkle slightly.


	14. Mother's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Kayla surprise Bucky for Mother's Day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Here's a shorter chapter for Mother's Day. This chapter is set three months ahead. The story begins in January, the chapter before this one is set in February)

Steve was cooking a large breakfast, Kayla in her highchair eating puffs again and watching her Dada cook. "Dada!"

"Shh, Baby. Mama is sleeping." Steve gave her some applesauce in a bowl, knowing she'd make a mess. "Eat that, Half-Pint and then Daddy will get you some scrambled eggs."

"Dadadada." She cooed happily, sticking her fingers in the bowl and sucking the applesauce off.

"Yum yum." Steve pressed a kiss to her head and plated Bucky’s food on a tray, then turning to take Kayla from the highchair. "Let's give Mama his food. Can you walk next to Daddy?"

Steve got a grin in response, the Little holding onto Steve’s shirt but walking on her own power while Daddy carried the tray. She waited at the bedroom door for Steve to open it, mumbling in discontent as he took a bit to balance the tray with one arm and open the door.

As soon as it opened, she was scampering to the bed until she was pulled back by her onesie and made to walk next to Daddy again. Steve set the tray on the dresser and helped Kayla onto the bed. "Wake mama up, Half-Pint. Give him kisses."

That statement earned Bucky’s face a bath of drool and her version of kisses until he groaned and tugged her onto his chest. "No more kisses. Sleep time, baby." Bucky mumbled, cuddling his squirming Little who nuzzled her head under his chin and closed her eyes at the words sleep time.

"Buuuuck. We made you breakfast." Steve prodded Bucky’s leg, sitting by his lover's hip. "Wake up."

"Fine." Bucky grumbled, opening his eyes. "Baby, Daddy says it's time to be awake now."

"Nuhuh." The brunette mumbled, cuddling into Bucky more even as he sat up.

"Yup. What did you and Daddy make for me?" Bucky smiled, moving her to sit next to him and accepted the tray into his lap.

"I may have made a bit extra for her in the plastic bowl so she wouldn't eat all your breakfast." Steve chuckled, sitting on Kayla's other side and accepting the bowl he was handed and a spoon. "There. You can eat in peace and I can finish giving her breakfast too."

"Did you eat yet?" Bucky looked at Steve, eating the toast covered in his favorite jam.

"Yup. Ate before I got this little one up. She was awake and calling for us at about 6:00 this morning." Steve ruffled the Little's hair and fed her more eggs. They'd have to wash their blanket but that's okay, the special time spent together was worth it.

"Early for her then. Normally she's not awake until 7 or 8. Thank you. For making breakfast. But why though?" Bucky was confused, wondering if he forgot something.

"Buck... It's May 13th. Mother's Day." Steve snorted, watching realization dawning across his boyfriend's face. "We have some things to give you."

"I don't need gifts. Just havin' you two by me and lovin' me is enough, Stevie." Bucky shook his head, touching a hand to Steve’s cheek and then rested it on Kayla's head where it rested on his ribcage. "Seein' you both is all I really need."

"We want to show our appreciation." Steve pecked Bucky on the lips, smiling at him as the other man finished up breakfast.

"Fibe, fine. Lemme have 'em then." Bucky tugged Kayla back into his lap after Steve took the tray back to the kitchen. "You wake up early today? I love you, Doll."

"Uhve oo!" Kayla curled into Bucky more, grinning at him happily and resting her cheek on his chest.

"You're so smart." Bucky grabbed his phone and snapped a picture of them, smiling at it fondly.

"Here we go." Steve set a few packages down and gave Bucky the card. "Can you read it out loud?"

"You bought it but okay." The darker haired male laughed.  _'You're a Queen every day, Mom. Out of all the mothers in the world, I'm glad you are mine. I love you, mom!'_ Love Kayla and Steve." He felt his eyes water which made him feel embarrassed, covering his face with the card for a moment before setting it on the nightstand carefully.

"You'll like this one." Steve handed him a soft package which Bucky opened and unfolded the shirt.

"World's most Super Mom." Bucky smiled at the photo on it which was him reading to Kayla.

"Tony let me use his photo lab. Or rather he did it. Open the next ones." Steve urged, grinning boyishly.

In total Bucky received a new mug, the shirt, a drawing of himself from Steve, the card, and a plaster mold of Kayla's hands. He loved all of it, telling Steve to put them up in safe places.

"It's almost 9:30. Shoot. It's time for her midmorning snack." Steve had forgotten in all the excitenent.

"Let me feed her." Bucky brought their baby to his chest, smiling at her as she latched on. "Come cuddle with us. I've decided I want you to spoil me."

Meaning he wanted to be able to make Steve stay in their bed with him and their little.

"Let me get the diapers and wipes so we don't have to get up to change her. Then morning snuggles." Steve promised, hurrying off to the nursery.

~Time skip~

It was the end of the day and Kayla was tucked in her crib, leaving Steve and Bucky alone. "Happy Mother's Day, Buck." Steve kissed Bucky, moving onto his partner.


	15. Overtired

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place after Tired.

(Back to our regularly scheduled program. This chapter continues after the chapter Tired)

Steve was swaying, keeping his Little asleep as she kept waking up when they'd set her down. "Poor kid." He whispered, he started to walk the room and hum softly until she finally settled in a deep sleep. The blond laid her down in the crib, tucking her under a warm blanket and securing the crib bars.

"What happened earlier?" Bucky questioned once Steve emerged from the nursery. "When I got back from the store, you looked stressed."

"Ah... She had a tantrum. It started shortly after you left because she threw yogurt puffs at me and I took her to the living room and set her in the playpen to have a timeout. Just a minute for her to calm down. She screamed and after a minute I went to take her out to give her a cuddle... Buck, she was screaming like I was murdering her and flailing around. I didn't even pick her up, just sat next to the playpen and waited for her to stop flailing." The light haired man explained, running a hand through his hair and allowing Bucky to pull him close. "She stopped after a few minutes and then the sobbing started, she cried and cried even when I picked her up. I had just barely gotten her to calm down when you got home."

"Maybe we should talk to Bruce about it." Bucky suggested, holding Steve to his side on the couch and kissing his cheek. "You did the right thing by putting her in the playpen to calm down. She can't get what she wants every time and she certainly can't be throwing things."

"I've never seen her so upset, like how angry she was. I've seen her cry that hard literally like three hours before that all went down though." Steve rested his head on his lover's chest and snuggled into him, relaxing.

"Hm. I'm not sure. Definitely need to talk to Bruce. JARVIS, what is Dr. Banner doing?" Bucky asked the AI.

"Dr. Banner is currently making a sandwich while Sir puts Little Master Peter to bed." JARVIS responded promptly.

"Thank you, JARVIS." Bucky smiled ad then pulled out his phone to text Bruce, asking him to come to their floor when he had time. The two sat in silence, basking in each other's presence and cuddling.

"Bucky? Steve? You needed to see me?" Bruce came in, looking into the living room.

"Yeah. We had some questions. Is it normal for a baby Little to have tantrums?" Steve sat up.

"A baby Little having tantrums? Well normal babies have tantrums, so I'd say so. What set her off?" Bruce seated himself in a chair.

"I put her in her playpen to calm down after she threw yogurt puffs at me." Steve shifted again. "She started screaming so once the time was up, I went to check on her but she was flailing so much so I left her there and waited for her to calm down."

"Hm. Well you did the right thing. Keep an eye on her and if she ends up hurting herself, then we'll see what we can do. Babies get overwhelmed because they can't tell us what they want or need." Bruce responded. "Make sure you ket her know you're there and don't yell at her when she's having a tantrum, she's going to be functioning on the part  of her brain that's purely emotional."

"Thank you so much, Bruce." Bucky looked relieved. "It's just worrying because she's never done it before."

"She's gotten more comfortable with you." Bruce smiled. "Should have seen Peter when we first got him. He was having tantrums every other day because he was unsettled though."

"Didn't he pee on Tony once?" Steve snickered.

"Yeah. It was funny." Bruce smiled softly. "I should get back. See you later."

"See you. Thank you." Steve thanked him again. "We'd be lost without you."

"Anytime." Bruce waved before leaving.

~Later that night once the Super Soldiers have gone to bed~

Kayla sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes and adjusting as the last of her headspace fell off. She looked around, noting she was in her crib and stood up carefully. Her legs shook slightly but other than that she was fine.

The Little frowned at the chest high bars and carefully stretched, climbing over the bar and dropped herself to the floor after chucking her blanket and some stuffed animals on the floor. She landed softly, keeping the pacifier in her mouth and let herself out of her nursery. Her mind was perfectly clear, fully Big right now and went to the kitchen for a drink.

The brunette got a plastic cup of water and sipped it, JARVIS watching her through the cameras and preparing to wake Steve and Bucky if needed. She set her empty cup in the sink and made her way to the master bedroom, going in quietly and watching Bucky and Steve sleeping.

Bucky frowned in his sleep, feeling someone watching him and opening his eyes. He sat up and saw a little ghostly figure sitting on the floor. "Baby? What are you doing up?"

"I can't sleep." Her clear voice came through which alerted him to her being Big.

"Let's go in the living room and let Daddy Steve sleep." Bucky got up carefully, leading her to the living room. "Are you wet at all?"

"Yeah actually. I didn't notice it." She shifted in the wet diaper uncomfortably. "Can you help me change? I can't diaper myself."

"Let's go to the nursery then, Doll." Bucky stood up, holding a hand to her that she took. "Do you want some clean pajamas?"

"No, these are nice and warm." The brunette allowed Bucky to help her on the changing table and watched him expertly change her, feeling only a bit of embarrassment but knowing he's been doing it for almost two months. "Thank you."

"Any time, Sweets. Don't want you to get a rash." Bucky zipped her footy pajamas back up and helped her down. "You hungry at all?"

"A bit. I think that's what woke me up along with that dream I had." She mumbled, nodding as Bucky held her hand again.

"You have a nightmare, baby?" Bucky made some grilled cheese at 3 am and gave her a plastic cup with milk in it.

"It was scary... I was falling and Daddy Steve left me while I was crying and I couldn't find you or anyone else and every so often I'd fall again." She frowned, looking a bit upset and Bucky rubbed a hand over her head.

"Daddy and I won't leave you permanently ever. Only time we will leave you is if we have a mission." Bucky was realizing she had a deep rooted fear of them leaving. "The falling part was probably from when you fell out of your crib yesterday, Sweetheart."

"I don't like it." The girl finished her grilled cheese and milk before watching Bucky put them in the sink. Her eyes were drooping and she yawned widely.

"You ready to go back to bed, baby?" Bucky questioned, going to her and helping her up. He was restraining himself from just carrying her back to the nursery and rocking her back to sleep.

"Can I sleep with you and Daddy Steve?" Kayla looked like she would crash at any moment, reaching for Bucky to hold her.

"Of course." Bucky lifted her up, making sure her arms and legs weren't scrunched uncomfortably and carried her to the master bedroom. He shut the door behind them and laid her down before climbing in on the other side, the girl laying between him and Steve. "Night, Baby."

"Night, Mommy Bucky." She cuddled up to Steve’s side, Steve still sound asleep but moved his arm around his Little.

~Timeskip to Steve waking up~

Steve woke up to a warm, little body curled up on his chest and he tilted his head slightly to see his baby on him. He turned his head and saw Bucky sleeping on his back, snoring softly. The blond heard soft whimpering coming from his Little and rubbed her back gently. "Shh, Baby. Daddy has you."

She settled back to a deeper sleep, soothed by her Daddy's voice and his warm arms around her. Her cold noise nuzzled into the crook of Steve’s neck and he tugged a blanket up over them more to combat the slight chill in the air. Bucky had opened the window slightly last night to cool down their bedroom.

Steve laid his head back down fully and decided to not go for his run that morning, choosing to lay in bed with his family again and wait for them to wake.


	16. Morning

Steve felt his Little squirming a bit on him as she started to wake up, frustrated noises coming from her. "Good morning, Half-Pint."

"No." The girl mumbled, making Steve wonder if she was Big. "Sleep now."

"It's half past 7, sweetheart. Let's go have some breakfast." Steve stood, lifting her with him and carrying her to the nursery. He'd clean her up while she was still mostly asleep and then find out how much she was out of headspace. His hands moved on autopilot, changing her diaper and then dressing her in warm clothes.

"No, Daddy Steve. Don' wan' to be carried." The tired girl swatted at him, trying to free herself from his hold to walk by herself. "Wan' down!"

"Hold on, Baby." Steve kissed her head and set her on her feet, holding onto her until she was steady. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Omlette and hashbrowns?" Her hazel eyes lit up, looking at Steve adorably and he nodded.

"Sure, Kayl. You want just cheese in it?" Steve held her hand as they walked, smiling.

"Lots of cheese. Nothing else in it." Kayla nodded rapidly, giving Steve a huge smile as the blonde nodded.

"One omlette with lots of cheese coning up." Steve restrained himself from putting her in the highchair but looked surprised as she climbed in by herself. "What're you doing, Sweetheart?"

"Sitting here. Too tired to keep my balance and my head feels funny." She laid her head on the tray, closing her eyes.

"Do you want to try and slip back into headspace?" Steve rubbed her shoulder, looking worried.

"Can't. I've woken up big before and then fallen back asleep and ended up back in headspace." She sounded frustrated. "You guys just haven't known about it because it only lasted an hour or so."

"We can ask Bucky if he knows anything that could help." Steve kissed her temple. "For now, let Daddy feed you and we'll see if being babied helps."

"Okay, Daddy Steve. But I still want an omlette. Baby food is not very good." The brunette girl pouted, looking at Steve with big hazel eyes.

"Little You likes it. Well some of it." Steve chuckled, making omlettes and hashbrowns. "Do you want something to drink, baby?"

"Juice? I haven't had juice in a long time." Her legs swung freely in the air as she looked at Daddy Steve.

"Give me one minute and then you can have some juice." Steve plated her omlette and gave her a plastic cup of juice which made her pout. "Sippy cup instead?"

"Yes, Daddy." She nodded, watching him pour the juice into a sippy cup and twist the lid on it. Her hands held onto it and brought the sippy to her mouth, drinking deeply and giving herself hiccups.

"Careful, Love." Steve patted her back and made his omlette, sitting down at the table and started feeding her the one he'd made for her.

After a bit she got frustrated. "Daddy, lemme feed myself now." She reached for the fork, adorable pout on her lips.

"Alright, Baby." Steve set the plate on her tray and gave her the fork. "Be careful please."

"Yes." She started eating under her own power, looking much happier.

Steve ate his omlette and kept an eye on her, watching her rest her feet on the little foot rest on the highchair.

Bucky came stumbling in, rubbing his face with his flesh hand and yawning. "Why did you let me sleep in?"

"You were up with Baby during the night. So I let you sleep. Besides, Half-Pint and I have been eating breakfast." Steve smiled.

"Morning, Mama." Kayla waved briefly before going back to devouring her omlette and slamming her juice.

~Time skip to after breakfast and showers~

"So what now?" Bucky was watching Steve brush their Little's hair and holding the hair tie for the end of the braid.

"Can I read?" Kayla looked hopeful, trying so hard not to move and mess up Steve’s hard work.

"Sure, Doll." Bucky answered, holding her hand once Steve took the hair tie. "What do you want to read?"

"Harry Potter." Kayla stood up, stretching and then letting Bucky hold her.

"I'll go get one of the books." Steve jogged off, returning with Goblet of Fire and giving it to the girl who settled in against Bucky’s chest to read.

The two Caregivers watched her for a bit before doing their own things, which was sketching for Steve and Bucky sat deep in thought. The dark haired man was thinking back over the nearly two months that they had had their Little and how much had changed since then.


	17. Month

The playdate was awkward because she still hadn't gone back into headspace and had been very crabby by the time Thursday rolled around. The brunette had sat around with Peter for a few minutes, observing him and trying to drop. She failed, got frustrated and stomped off to go sulk in the Nursery with the door locked.

That had been about a month ago and she had grown more and more upset, wanting to be back to her Little Self. It was very frustrating for her to have something blocking what she was supposed to be able to do and was supposed to do.

The girl had been made to discuss things that were bothering her or could be preventing her from slipping. She hadn't liked it but she had done it anyways.

It was approximately 2:30 am and she was laying in the crib, staring at the ceiling blankly as she felt her eyes start to blur with tears of frustration, sadness, and exhaustion. The poor Little just wanted to be able to fully relax again and not have any worries or things she had to get done.

Hazel eyes let trails of tears drip and her mind blanked except for the need to get her Mama and Dada's attention, prompting her to cry loudly and very shrilly.

~In Stucky's bedroom~

Bucky woke up to the sound of sobbing coming from the baby monitor, rising automatically to go to the nursery and going in. "Shh shh, Baby... Mama's here."

The dark haired man picked her up, rocking her gently and then changed her diaper before sitting in the rocking chair to feed her. He was moving entirely on Autopilot, not even registering the fact that she hadn't been Little in a month.

Her mouth latched on and started suckling, Bucky rocking the chair with his foot and humming slowly. He'd end up taking her back into their bedroom when she was done nursing, wanting to keep her close while she was actually tired. He yawned widely, checking on her and finding her asleep with her face smushed to his chest. The tired man stood slowly, carrying her to the bedroom and laying her next to Steve before laying himself on her other side. "Night, Doll."

She snuffled in her sleep, calm now because she was surrounded by her caregivers' scents and had a full belly. Kayla was sound asleep, dreaming baby dreams.

~In the morning, about two hours later really~

Steve woke up this time, hearing soft sniffles and rolled onto his side from his position on his back. His eyes widened as he realized Kayla was in their bed but also felt a twinge in his shoulder which meant she needed him.   
"Hey, Half-Pint. You need Daddy?" He kept his voice low to not startle her, gently moving her closer and helping her latch on. "Ah, you were hungry. That makes your Mama grumpy too. He turns into a real grouch when he needs to eat."

"I'm going to murder you, Stevie." Bucky’s tired voice rumbled as the other man rolled onto his stomach and covered his head with a pillow.

"Aw, Half-Pint. Mama's gonna murder me." Steve sounded amused, reaching one hand over and rubbing Bucky’s shoulder gently. "Go back to sleep, Buck."

"Love you both." Bucky lifted his head to look at them, eyes shadowed from his hair in his face.

"We love you too." Steve would be having a talk with Bucky later about if he was having nightmares again. Steve hated the fact that Bucky still suffered from his time being under HYDRA's control. "Sleep now. We'll go into the living room."

"No." Bucky’s hand grabbed Steve’s arm quickly, holding tightly to the other man but letting go once he registered Steve’s worried expression. "Stay in here. I'll be fine."

"Okay, Bucky." The blond ran his fingers through Bucky’s hair, stroking the silky strands until his boyfriend fell asleep. Steve looked at his Little in his lap and smiled at her, not caring if her eyes were closed but caring she needed a new diaper. "Time for a change, Baby. Ready?" He laid her down on the bed, leaned over and got a conveniently placed Diaper bag that was under the nightstand.

The Little girl was squirming, scowling at being on her back and not in Steve’s arms. Her legs kicked out, hitting Steve’s thigh as they did and her arms waved in the air.

"Shh, hold on. Daddy will pick you up as soon as you have a clean diaper." Steve rubbed her leg before changing the diaper, wincing at the smell slightly. It never failed to gross him out. Pee diapers he could do with no issue, one containing a bowel movement gave him issue slightly.

He wiped her up thoroughly, getting every crevasse and then folding the diaper into a neat little ball. He set it to the side to deal with later and continued his diapering of the Little, powdering her thoroughly and strapping a new diaper on. "There. All clean."

Kayla just sucked on her fingers, staring at Steve blankly and whining until she was picked up. The blonde carried her to the living room and wrapped her in a blanket, smiling at her.

"No, no. Don't suck on your fingers, Half-Pint." Steve got out a pacifier from its sterile case and poked it into her mouth. "There we go."

Kayla babbled around the pacifier, only using nonsensical syllables rather than her few words. Her hands were stuck in the blanket and she grunted, attempting to free herself and crying when she couldn't.

"Shh. Don't cry." Steve hurriedly unwrapped her and then just covered her legs with the blanket, trusting his arms around her to keep her upper body warm. "Are you ready to go back to sleep again?" His body swayed, rocking the baby to sleep.


	18. Baby

Steve was eating breakfast one handedly, cradling the Little in his other arm. "Who's Daddy's girl?"

She hadn't let go of his shirt yet, even while she slept and then woken up. It had been an hour and Bucky was awake also, the dark haired man coming in.

"Morning, Buck." Steve smiled at him, getting a tired smile back. "Buck, you okay?"

"Just a bit tired. Woke up to her sobbing last night. Don't know what made her drop but something did it." Bucky got himself coffee, downing it like it would keep him alive. "She's super Little though. Not really communicating past noises rather than words."

"We can check the books." Steve suggested, shifting her on his lap.

"C'mere, Doll." Bucky carefully took her from Steve and made sure his face was in her line of sight, stopping the crying from happening. "Finish your breakfast, Stevie. Then get dressed or something. You've had her all morning. You'll need a break."

"It wasn't too bad, she slept for a while." Steve shrugged, eating his breakfast and looking relaxed.

"Still. Let's have some Mama and Baby time." Bucky shrugged, kissing Steve softly before kissing their Little on the forehead. The blond finished his breakfast and washed his dishes before going off to take a shower.

Kayla cooed softly, focused on Mama's face and stretching a hand up to his face before dropping it down again. Her eyes were bright with curiousity, babbling nonsense at Bucky and grinning when Bucky smiled at her.

"Are you happy, doll?" Bucky nuzzled her hair, kissing her cheeks and then blowing a raspberry on her belly. Kayla whined, squirming in Bucky’s lap and flailing. "Shh, baby. Relax. Are you ready for the day?"  
He stood up and carried Kayla to the nursery, checking her diaper and then changing the wet diaper. The brunet man dressed her in a onesie and then brushed her hair carefully before putting it back in a braid, smiling at her.

"Buck? Kayla?" Steve wandered in by them, freshly shaved and showered. "There you are. Oh look at you, you look so cute." Steve grinned, hugging them both.

"Look at Daddy. He looks very handsome." Bucky smirked at Steve, implying he'd be ravishing the blond tonight and reasserting his dominance over him.

~Few days later~

"Sirs, there is a call from Mister Fury for you." JARVIS announced, drawing their attention from where Kayla was laying on her stomach and trying to grab a teddy bear in Steve’s uniform.

"Ugh. I'll get it." Steve went and answered the phone in the other room, growling in his chest slightly. "We can't. We have a Little to care for."

"Get someone to watch her. You two are the ones we need." Fury barked. "I know you don't like it but that's too bad. This is your job. You leave tomorrow."

"Fine." Steve hung up on Nick Fury and then went into the living room. "Fury needs us to go on a mission. It has to be us... So who do we call to watch Kayla?"

"Bruce? Tony has taken Peter off to visit Pepper for a few days in Malibu. Bruce was moping around last I saw." Bucky had picked Kayla up, bringing her to his chest and allowing her to latch on. "We'll need to pump milk. She hates the formula with a passion."

"I'll pump first and then you can once she's done nursing." Steve suggested. "We leave tomorrow so we can do it again in a few hours and the mission shouldn't last too long."

"Sounds like a plan." Bucky agreed, detaching sharp nails from his skin and looking at Steve. "Get the c-l-i-p-p-e-r-s."

"Alright. Be right back." Steve went off and grabbed the nail clippers, returning with them hidden in his hand as he sat by Bucky and Kayla. The blond's hand gently held Kayla's small hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb until she went back to nursing.

He carefully clipped the first two nails and then she started crying, trying to pull her hand away. Big tears rolled down her cheeks and Bucky frowned slightly but held her hand so she couldn't yank it away and accidentally hurt herself.

"What are you two doing? Murdering her?" Clint was big right now, coming for a visit.

"Something like that." Bucky said dryly, looking unamused. "Or worse. Clipping her little claws."

"Ah. Fun." Clint snickered and touched Kayla's nose with his pointer finger. "Boop!"

The baby stopped wailing as she stared at Clint in confusion. He did it again and got a small smile, Steve getting through the rest of her fingers on the first hand and then going through the second hand while Clint played peekaboo with Kayla.

Steve put the nail clippers away while Bucky sat Kayla up in a pile of blankets and cushions. "Watch her for me quick, Clint."

"Aye aye, Soldier!" Clint snickered, crouching in front of the baby and making a teddy bear dance which made the Little Girl squeal. "You think that's funny, huh?"

Kayla kicked her legs, nearly taking Clint out and laughing happily. She had no sign of her tears and was happily playing up until she noticed neither Steve nor Bucky were in the room, screwing her face up and sniffling.

"Ah guys! Your baby is about to cry!" Clint was worried, pulling the Little into his lap and rocking her as best he could. She started to full cry, sobbing loudly. "Guys!"

"Aw, Half-Pint. You were doing so well." Steve didn't take her though, letting her hear his voice and watching as she rotated herself towards him with her arms outstretched. "No, no. Stay by Clint, baby."

Bucky crouched down just outside of her reach and waited for her to calm down. "C'mon, Doll. You need to calm down. Mama's right here and you're just fine by Clint."

They managed to get her calmed down while still in Clint's lap. Both of them smiled proudly before ruffling Clint's hair.

"Hey! Not little right now! So hands off!" Clint scowled, putting Kayla in her swing. "I'm gonna go see Phil now."

"See you, Clint." Bucky waved before turning the swing on and watching the Little become entranced by the music and swaying motion.


	19. Uncles

Bruce looked at the baby in his lap, having agreed to babysit for Steve and Bucky. "Hello there, Kayla. Have you been having a good day?"

The baby cooed softly at Bruce, gripping his t-shirt and yawning slightly. She'd been alone with him for about twenty minutes, Steve and Bucky having left on their mission early in the morning. At the moment, it was 6:45 am and she was still sleepy.

"Are you ready for breakfast, hm? Your parents said you would be eating about this time." Bruce stood, thankful for the fact that caregivers are all pretty strong. He held her and set her down in the highchair to make her some mushy baby cereal, smelling it and wrinkling his face before sitting down to feed her. "Here comes the plane!"

He opened his own mouth and then "flew" the spoon into hers when she copied, what he wasn't expecting was her to spit it out and push the bowl off the tray. Bruce blinked, gaping at the mess and then at the pouting baby.

"Huh... Well... I'll have to tell them you hate baby cereal." Bruce took a deep breath before standing, tossing the bowl and spoon into the sink. He grabbed the wipes and cleaned up most of the mess, checking her book for things she does like and getting a jar of pureed green beans. "Oooh. You like this, don't you?"

"Ah! Ah!" She kicked her legs excitedly, throwing her arms out and grinning at Bruce who sat back down.

"Mm. Good." Bruce started feeding her, eyes crinkling as he smiled at her. She finished off the whole jar and then ate some of Bruce's oatmeal too when he made himself food. "Are they starving you, huh? Meanies."

He liked taking care of her, it was a different thing than caring for Peter who was kind of mouthy at times. His fingers combed through her hair as he got her ready for the day, smiling as she leaned into his hand.

"Let's get a clean diaper on you, yeah?" Bruce knew it was good to talk to babies. He changed her damp diaper, thoroughly wiping and powdering her before taking the diaper up. Next he dressed her in a singlet under a cute little long sleeve dress with some leggings and socks. "There! Just your hair left and your teeth."

~Time skip~

Bruce sat back in a recliner, reading while the baby little napped in her crib. They'd spent the morning playing with the toys Steve had left out for them and then had lunch which was mashed potatoes for her and a sandwich and potatoes for him. He'd never met someone who loved mashed potatoes that much.

He read for about an hour and a half before going to check on her, he came in to see her sitting up. "Hey there, Pumpkin. Uncle Bruce is here to get you out."

Her face crumpling was the only warning he got before she started sobbing loudly. The scientist was quick to scoop her up and hold her close, bouncing her in his arms and attempting to soothe her.

"Hey, hey. Don't cry. I got you. Shh." Bruce rocked her in his arms. "Cmon, you were doing so well."

"Bruce?" Phil's voice came through the hall before the agent came into the nursery.

"Hey Phil." Bruce had found a pacifier and stuck it in her mouth, quieting the sobs.

"I take it babysitting isn't going well." Phil frowned, ruffling the baby's hair gently and taking her from Bruce. "Why don't you go to the bathroom and take a short break?"

"Thank you." Bruce left the room and went to calm down.

"Now, Kayla. Are you giving your poor Uncle a hard time? I know, I know. You miss your Mama and Dada. They'll be back tomorrow." Phil sat in the rocking chair and rocked her gently, getting her to slowly stop crying. "There we go. Much better now. No more tears."

"How are you so good?" Bruce was impressed, standing in the doorway and watching as Phil changed the wet diaper.

"Practice." Phil never broke eye contact with the baby, lifting her back up and taking her to the living room to play.  
"Here you go." He put toys within her reach and sat nearby to keep an eye on her.

"Thank you." Bruce sat down and then accepted the toy he was handed, smiling at the baby who cooed at him. "Woah. It's cool."

Phil snorted after twenty minutes because Bruce's lap was full of toys now. "Apparently you have become the toy box."

"Apparently so." Bruce laughed, accepting the next toy and setting it on another one. "I think it's 4:30 now. Time for her to have a bottle and then dinner at 5:30 for her."

"They give you a list?" Phil was also fond of lists, having one for many things.

"It's four pages long. Front and back." Bruce laughed, carefully putting all the toys away and getting an adorable pout. "Hey now. It's bottle time."

"Come here, Kayla." Phil drew her into his lap as Bruce went to heat up the bottle, accepting the baby kisses with a smile. He took the bottle from Bruce, shifted the baby and started feeding it to her.

"That's honestly very sweet." Bruce was happy but also missing Tony and Peter. Thankfully they'd be home in three days.

"Clint would probably try to punch me if I tried to feed him a bottle. He's  a BIG boy as he says." Phil was amused, shifting the baby Little carefully and leaning his head back against the coffee table.

"Same with Peter. He only agrees to the pullups because he's had so many accidents." Bruce stretched, cracking his back and then standing. "What are you hungry for? I know Clint's on a mission too."

"Whatever you want is fine." Phil had no preference.

"Pizza then?" Bruce knew Phil loved Pizza, having seen the agent lose his restraint and eat like seven pieces in one sitting.

"Lots of sausage and pepperoni, Black olives too." Phil grinned at Bruce.

~during the night~

The two were sleeping with the Little between them, this having been the only way she would go to bed and neither felt like trying to let her cry it out in her crib. They were very comfortable and it was natural to them both to have a little share their beds.


	20. Careful

The Little was sobbing again, sitting in front of the elevator and flailing every time Phil and Bruce tried to move her. She wanted Daddy and Mama.

"I'll call and see how soon." Phil murmured to Bruce and went into the kitchen, dialing Nick Fury and getting told twenty minutes. "Twenty minutes and they'll be back."

"Oh good. Let's hope she doesn't knock herself out somehow because she's holding her breath, I think." Bruce said mildly, noting that the ear piercing wails had ceased and silence reigned. "Yep. She is."

Her face was red, chest not moving in a telltale sign of breathing and her hands were clenched. She wobbled and Bruce caught her as she tipped over, lungs and brain forcing her to breathe as she passed out.

"They're not going to be happy with her for doing that." Phil sighed and the two sat on the floor in front of the elevator for the next twenty minutes until the door opened to reveal Steve and Bucky who looked a little worse for the wear. Phil was struggling to hold onto the Little whom was back to throwing a tantrum.

"What's goin on? Doll, no no." Bucky crouched down, disregarding his dirty self and took her from Phil. "Shh, Sweetheart. Mama's got ya."

"Mama!" The Little stopped struggling, opening her eyes and staring at Bucky who smiled.

"You giving your uncles a difficult time, hm?" Bucky kept her distracted as Steve went to shower and catch up on what had happened. "Let Mama get cleaned up and then lunch for you, babe."

"I got her. You get cleaned up, Buck." Steve took the baby, watching how big her eyes got. "You missed Daddy, Half-Pint?"

"DADA!" Her voice squealed, clumsy fingers scrabbling at his chest as she tried to grip onto him.

"Ouch, Baby. Careful." Steve winced, holding her hands with one of his before sitting and bringing her to his aching chest to nurse. He sighed in relief at the release of pressure, holding her with one arm and stroking her cheek while she nursed. "So what happened?"

"She was okay until she woke up from her nap yesterday. Lots of crying until Phil came and she calmed for a bit, played until dinner. And then she wouldn't go to bed so finally we just laid down with her between us and she fell asleep." Bruce explained. "Also. She really hates baby cereal."

"Darn... She seemed like she would be fine but I guess not." Steve ran gentle fingers through Kayla's hair, watching her nurse and then smiling as Bucky came back in.

"Rough time?" Bucky sat by Steve and Kayla, setting her legs into his lap and rubbing her calves.

"A bit. She's still very sweet." Phil shrugged. "She shared very well with Bruce."

"By that he means put all her toys in my lap and then sat in Phil's lap." Bruce snorted.

"So I'm not the only one she does that to." Bucky was amused, leaning his cheek on Steve’s shoulder.

"She hates baby cereal." Steve informed Bucky with a slight pout.

"I don't blame her. That stuff is nasty smelling." Bucky laughed.

"We'll let you three get settled in." Bruce stood up and helped Phil stand before the two left.

"Mm. Go to Mama, Baby. Daddy needs to eat." Steve hummed, passed the Little to Bucky and kissed her forehead when she whined. "Shh. Give Mama love. He missed you too."

"Doll, didn't you miss me?" Bucky fake pouted, getting several kisses from their Little. "Aw thanks."

"Ma." The small girl cuddled into Bucky. Her thumb made it's way into her mouth and she sucked on it, clinging to Mama with her free arm until Bucky gently tugged her hand away from her mouth.

"Yuck, baby." Bucky stood, carrying her with to the nursery and changing her diaper after getting her a pacifier. "There. Much better, huh?"

She didn't respond past a grunt, nuzzling into his chest and closing her eyes. Her caregivers were home and that's all that mattered to her.

"Our good girl, Kayla. Such a good girl." Bucky sat in the rocking chair and moved it with his foot, rocking them. His head rested comfortably against the padded back and his butt was snug on a fluffy cushion. "Missed you so much and so did Daddy even if it was a day and a half."

"Felt so long." Steve spoke from the doorway, smiling at the pair and snapping a photo. "You're getting a bit scruffy, Buck."

"You were too but you just shaved." Bucky shot back, never ceasing rocking the chair. "Feels good to be home, yeah?"

"Yeah." Steve sat on a low bench that had contained stuffed animals that he moved. "Glad to have you with me and our Little."

"You finally got your wish. We have a family." Bucky had a soft grin on his face, happiness radiating from him.

"A family in our small world is perfect." Steve was content, looking at his lover and their baby.


	21. Haircuts

Bucky was stroking Kayla's hair, frowning when his fingers encountered something odd. He looked down and saw a shorter patch, cut to the bottom of her head. It was an odd little tuft that stuck out and he found a few more, there was no way she had done it herself considering the angle it was cut at.

"Stevie!" Bucky called, keeping an eye on the patches so they wouldn't get lost in the rest of her long hair. He let her play with his metal hand, her putting one of his fingers into her mouth and drooling over it. He'd had worse on it so he wasn't really bothered.

"Yeah, Babe?" Steve was drying his hair, wearing an unbuttoned shirt and a pair of shorts.

"Someone cut her hair. There's short patches." Bucky saw how Steve sighed and came over.

"I'll call Bruce, Tony and Phil. It had to have been Peter or Clint." Steve did a three way call with the other men.

"What's up, Capsicles?" Tony's voice rang out through the speakers.

"I need to talk to Peter and Clint. And you guys too." Steve sounded frustrated.

"We'll come up." Phil sighed, already knowing something happened. He hung up and rounded up Clint, wondering what had gone on.

"Bruce! Grab Peter, we're making a house call." Tony called and hung up on Steve.

Bucky freed his metal hand from her mouth and dried it off on a towel Steve gave him, chuckling lowly. "She's got a good grip honestly."

"Ma." Her voice was a whine, pouting heavily at losing her chew toy.

"Mama needs his hand." Steve laughed, poking a dummy into her mouth and sitting next to them. "Did we ever thank T'Challa for his gift of your new arm?"

"I did. I sent him a card and thanked him profusely." Bucky was grateful for what T'Challa had done with taking out HYDRA's poor job and replacing it with a painless one. His arm no longer hurt him and there was no more rotting flesh under it either.

Steve kissed Bucky gently, their Little sandwiched between them and a gentle feeling of love filled the room. The elevator dinged, alerting them to their company and they split apart.

Kayla pouted, she liked being so close to both of her caregivers. She was set into Steve's lap, the blond smiling at her as he cradled her.

"What's going on?" Phil was leading Clint in by the hand, the archer clearly big at the moment though.

"Let's wait til Tony and Bruce get up here." Bucky was carrying in a plate of cut up bananas for Kayla's snack, sitting next to her and watching Steve feed her the bits of fruit. They didn't have to wait long, the elevator dinging again and Tony swept in with his Little on his back.

"You're gonna need a chiropractor after that." Kayla blurted out, going Big in the middle of eating. "Oh shit. Dammit. Fuck. I'm sorry."

"Language!" Steve scolded, swatting her butt.

"Pfft. Peter isn't heavy." Tony set Peter down on the couch and Bruce sat next to Peter on one side.

"Anyways... Either Clint or Peter cut her hair." Steve had her lean forward, showing the cut patches to the others.

"Peter was playing hairdresser." Clint remembered, leaning into Phil. "I went to the bathroom with Daddy and came back while Peter was hiding the hair."

"Lie!" Peter scowled, kicking his legs out.

"I was only gone for five minutes!" Phil sighed. "It did seem suspicious that Peter was no longer running around with the plane."

"Peter... Did you cut your cousin's hair?" Tony said sternly, looking at the Little Boy.

"Yes, Daddy..." Peter looked down, frowning to himself.

"You need to apologize to Uncle Steve and Aunt Bucky." Tony ordered. "And then you'll be having an early bath and bedtime tonight."

"Sorry, Uncle Steve and Uncle Bucky." Peter slid off the couch and hugged the two men and then his cousin before going back to his caregivers and climbed into Bruce's lap.

"Thank you for apologizing." Steve smiled at Peter and watched as Tony led his family out. "Thanks for explaining, Clint."

"You may want to check behind the tubs of legos in the cabinet." Clint sighed.

"We will." Bucky nodded and Phil left with Clint.

"You're getting a spanking." Steve addressed the Little who had been eating the bananas happily.

"What? Why?!" Kayla bolted up, looking like she'd run away.

"For cursing." Steve stood, pulling her back to him. "Fifteen swats."

"Mama!" The girl appealed to Bucky, looking at him for help.

"Sorry, Doll. I can't go against Daddy." Bucky was apologetic, shooting her a sympathetic look as Steve laid her over his knees and took the diaper down. He flinched as she yelped with each swat and taking her once Steve was done and she was teary eyed. "Aw, Baby. Don't cry."

"Not a baby!" She yelled, pushing out of Bucky’s arms and running off to the nursery to hide from them. Her pride hurt more than her bum but it wasn't fair! She had been big when she said the word and had immediately apologized after saying it. Steve was just being a meanie because he was Daddy and could.

She crept out of the Nursery and into the master bathroom, finding a pair of scissors and cutting her hair since it had a big reaction. Her long hair hit the ground, making a pile as the chopped locks swung from her hold and framed her face unevenly. The back was about even with the base of her skull and the rest was near chin length with some strands either shorter or longer.

~Twenty minutes later~

"JARVIS, is she still in a bad mood?" Steve asked the AI, believing their Little had just been sulking in her nursery.

"Little Mistress has been out of her nursery the whole time, Captain Rogers." JARVIS responded. "She has locked herself in the bathroom."

"Uh oh." Steve bolted to the bathroom and forced the handle to turn, stopping short at the sight of the pile of hair and the girl soaking in the bathtub. "What did you do?!"

"Had a haircut." She smirked, not moving from the tub and enjoying the hot water on her skin.

"Bucky! Come see what our daughter did!" Steve leaned against the wall, covering his face and taking deep breaths.

"What is it?" Bucky stepped in and stared. "Oh, Doll... Why?" He dropped to his knees next to the tub and touched her chopped hair, running his fingers over the strands.

"Steve." She smiled, looking the blond in the eyes. "I think it looks fine."

"C'mere Babe." Bucky took her from the tub and to her nursery to dress her, choosing to not rise to the bait. She wanted them to be angry but he was calm. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"No." Her lower lip trembled, the savage satisfaction at angering Steve had faded and the realization of her actions overwhelmed her. Her hazel eyes filled with tears and Bucky was quick to hold her in his lap in the rocking chair, rocking her gently to calm her.

"You won't do something so naughty again, will you? No. I didn't think so." Bucky dragged a blanket over her naked body, not willing to get up to dress her until she was calm. "Cause you're our good baby girl."

The girl was crying quietly, burying her face in Bucky’s neck and breathing in deeply. "Daddy won't love me no more!"

"Daddy loves you very much. I'm just disappointed in you." Steve’s voice came from the doorway. He stepped in and took her from Bucky, unwrapping her and diapering her. He took off his t-shirt and put it over her head, wrapping her in the blanket after that. "I punished you because you swore three times and insulted Tony. And now you've cut your hair."

The blond brought her to his chest, sitting on the rocking chair after Bucky vacated the room to give them space. He kept his blue eyes locked to her hazel ones as she latched on to nurse, letting her take comfort.

"You are my princess, baby. But you cannot get away with everything. There are things you cannot do." Steve kissed her forehead, rocking until she slipped back into Little-space and got her to fall asleep. He tucked her in the crib, making sure her blanket was in place before going out by Bucky.

"You handled that pretty well." Bucky was eating a plum, watching a video.

"It's just hair. It will grow back. Her knowing I love her is more important than anything." Steve stole a plum and then a kiss from his lover, leaning against Bucky’s side. "Speaking of hair... You should let me cut yours."

"Steve!" Bucky laughed, cuddling his blond close.


	22. Sickness

Bucky groaned, rolling onto his stomach at the sound of crying coming through the baby monitor. "Steve. Steve. Get the baby."

"She's yours when it's 2 am." Steve rolled against Bucky, attempting to dislodge him from the bed.

"Your turnnnn." Bucky whined as the crying got louder, turning into wails interspersed with sobs and calls for Da. "She's calling for you, Stevie. You know she'll cry more if I go get her."

"Fine, you owe me." Steve grunted, getting up and making his way to the nursery where his nose was assaulted by the smell of bodily fluids. "You don't feel good, Half-Pint?"

He noted her vomit coated state and sighed, picking her up gingerly. He settled her against his shoulder and carried the Little to the master bathroom where they kept her bath things. The blond knelt down after getting a new diaper, the wipes and her soaps. The tub was filling automatically thanks to JARVIS and he stripped the crying Little before setting her into the water which set off more screams.

"Shh, Baby. Mama's sleeping." Steve half heartedly shushed her, washing her tiredly but efficiently and carefully cleaning her hair as she clung to his arm. "Dada will feed you and then you can go night night with Daddy and Mommy."

"Daaaaa." She struggled, making grabbing motions at him and whined to be held. He knelt in the tub and cleaned himself off now before getting out, taking her with him and drying her quickly. Steve diapered her after thoroughly powdering her bits, carrying her to the bedroom where Bucky was sitting up and looking at them in the dark.

"Whassa matter?" Bucky slurred sleepily, watching as Steve set the baby next to him and the blond climbed in on his claimed side of the bed.

"Baby threw up." Steve yawned, letting her into his lap and holding her gently while she nursed. "Gonna have to clean the nursery up tomorrow. Too tired for this right now. Kinda glad she cut her hair because it would've been a pain to get out."

"Funny." Bucky started massaging their Little's feet, helping her settle into a deep sleep once Steve patted the trapped air out of her. He put a pillow over his metal arm as she cuddled to him, making sure she wouldn't hurt her head from laying on it. "Go to sleep, Stevie."

"Love you." Steve kissed his boyfriend lovingly, enjoying the way Bucky’s lips chased his when he went to pull back. "G'night, Buck."

"Night, Punk." Bucky closed his eyes and chuckled as he heard the snoring coming from the other side of the bed. Steve always denied it but he really did snore.

~Next morning~

Bucky got a  ** _lovely_** wake up call via vomit spewing over his face and chest thanks to a very ill Little who sobbed loudly. The dark haired man tried not to gag and wiped his face on his pillow case before opening his eyes.

"Oh, Doll..." Bucky groaned, sitting up and moving her into his lap. The clock showed it was a mere three hours later from when they'd gone back to bed. "Daddy's on his run, hm?"

The Little sniffled, curling into Mama who had stripped his vomit covered shirt and tossed it on the hardwood floor of the bedroom. Her entire body trembled, cold and upset even as Bucky tugged the blanket up onto her.

"You're just having a rough time, hm?" Bucky smiled soothingly and rocking her in his lap, seeing her eyes fighting to stay open. "Woke up early and felt all poorly then woke up again and felt yucky. Poor doll. Lemme tell you something. Daddy used to get very sick all the time and he felt yucky too."

"Da?" Her tired eyes took in the room, looking for Steve who wasn't home yet. "Daaaa?"

"Da is running outside, baby. He'll be home in half an hour." Bucky knew the baby couldn't tell time when Little but it still felt right to give her a rough estimate. He fed her which completely set her off to dream land and he laid her back down next to him before dozing off for a bit longer.

Steve returned home and took a shower before checking on Bucky and Kayla, finding them both sound asleep and a vomit coated shirt on the floor. "Gross." He mumbled and took it to the laundry room after collecting the crib's defiled sheets and blankets also.

He was thankful they had taken the stuffed animals out of the crib before bedtime last night. They'd have been a pain to wash and dry. He set the washer up and added the soap and shut the door after putting the vomit covered items in.

The blond ate a quick breakfast and went back to the bedroom when he heard a small voice calling for him pitifully. "Hi, Half-Pint."

"Da!" She flung her arms towards him demandingly, Steve stepping over and scooping her up.

"Ah, honey. You're wet." He took her to the nursery and realized it was not just a wet diaper, his nose wrinkled slightly but he changed the poop filled diaper. The tall caregiver would never get used to the poopy ones, he tended to give her to Bucky when she had one.

She cooed happily when the diaper was off and her skin was clean, kicking her legs excitedly at the freedom as Steve turned away to put the diaper in the Diaper Genie. The biggest pout filled her face when Steve turned back around with a diaper, whining loudly.

"You have a yucky stomach. I'm definitely not letting you run around naked." Steve told her, holding her legs with one hand and expertly diapering her while she struggled against him. "How about some oatmeal?"

Kayla just pouted at him, giving him a sad look and tugging at the diaper until she was put in a onesie and mittens on her hands. The girl babbled angrily at him, sounding like an angry swarm of bees.

"Hush now. Daddy needs the mittens on you because your little talons are growing out and Mama's not awake to help me cut them." Steve chuckled lowly, buckling her into the highchair and feeding her oatmeal.

~Four hours later~

There had been a total of 7 poopy diapers in the four hours since breakfast, Steve and Bucky both dry heaving with a few of them. Her stomach was just not very happy.

"I'd take the vomiting over this." Steve plugged his nose as Bucky changed the eighth diaper.

"Me too... she vomited in my face this morning." Bucky taped up the sides of the diaper and picked their baby up, opting to leave her undressed rather than changing her clothes.

~Two hours later~

There had been no more poopy diapers and the baby seemed much happier, cooing at her exhausted caregivers.

"Little monster." Bucky said affectionately as he laid her down for a nap in their bed as the mattress in the crib needed to be replaced. "Sleep well."

And if Steve and Bucky both took a nap too, no one needed to know. They were exhausted.


	23. Marriage and Bonding

James Buchanan Barnes was nervous, looking at the suit he was in and then at Kayla who was out of headspace at the moment. "Doll, I'm nervous."

"Daddy loves you, Mama. Relax. He wouldn't have said yes if he didn't want to marry you." She patted her caregiver's chest gently, nuzzling him briefly. She had nursed from them both that morning to prevent any uncomfortableness from them being full.

"Thanks." Bucky smiled, hugging her tightly and then hearing the music start. "C'mere, Doll. It's time."

He picked her up, feeling her arms and legs wrap around him as much as possible. Steve and Bucky had been insistent on her being in the wedding and that Bucky would carry her down the aisle. She hadn't protested, internally pleased that they wanted her included like that.

"Love you, Baby." Bucky kissed her hair as he carried her down the aisle rather than a bouquet of flowers. Steve looked radiant in a royal blue suit that made his hair shine and eyes stand out even more and by the large smile spreading slowly across Steve’s face they looked good too.

Bucky set her down on the little chair between them, making sure she was steady and then took Steve’s hands as the ceremony went on. Neither of them could take their eyes off each other and they looked so very in love, both blushing brightly as the priest cleared his throat slightly.

They began their vows, sticking with traditional vows except the parts of obeying no matter what. They did not agree with that part and they had added a part regarding their Little which is why they wanted her in their ceremony.

The priest smiled, starting the part of bonding a Little to their caregivers in a way. It was more symbolic than anything and it had dropped in popularity but Steve and Bucky both wanted to do it. It was special to them and they felt it was needed.

They both stripped off their shirts and helped her take off her dress, leaving her in her tights which made her tremble slightly. She was very shy when not in Little-space, especially in front of the crowd in the room.

They lifted her between them, sandwiching her with their bodies and stating their promises of love and protection and care to her.

"We'll give you what you need, give you what you may want and always give you our love. This marriage is not just Steve and I. It's about our family finally being bonded together completely and the individual units being combined to form a whole." Bucky spoke strongly, eyes filled with love while looking at his husband and Little.

Finally the priest put the ribbon around them and tied it in a bow, symbolizing that they were tied together forever. As one, the audience rose and started the old traditional bonding song that rose and fell and echoed in the church.

~Afterwards~

"I'm not even sorry we chose not to do a honeymoon." Steve glanced down at the Little who was sleeping on his chest, one of her hands holding a fistful of Bucky’s hair.

"Me either. There's no place I'd rather be than here." Bucky agreed, carefully freeing his hair and letting her grip two of his fingers instead. "With you and her. Besides, she does sleep in the nursery most nights. Which means alone time for us."

"True. But for tonight, it's okay." Steve was content, kissing Bucky lovingly and then kissing Kayla's head.


	24. Jealousy

Bucky couldn't believe it. His own Little had started monopolizing his husband, constantly wanting Steve’s attention only on her and getting upset if Steve kissed Bucky where she could see. The Little would cling to Steve and wake up immediately if she was set down during naptime, it was to the point that Bucky would just leave during naptime and workout to release his frustration.

He had no clue what had brought this on and frankly, it hurt him a lot. He'd been the one to find her and bring her home but she clung to Steve and rejected him. Things had been going so well, especially after the wedding and bonding. One day, a few weeks later really, things had started with her mostly feeding from Steve and wanting Steve to give her breakfast in the kitchen rather than Bucky even though that had been their thing. It had escalated to her only wanting Steve to dress her and bathe her, crying herself sick if Bucky did.

"Baby, c'mere. Daddy won't be home for three hours." Bucky tried to coax her from in front of the elevator and sighing. "Mama feels really lonely, Baby Doll. Please come give kisses?"

She sighed like she was put out but crawled across the floor and rose up on her knees, stretching her arms out to him insistently and he scooped her up. Her drooly lips pressed to his face repeatedly, coating him in saliva but he honestly was so happy that she was willingly by him.

"Aw, thank you. Such a good girl." Bucky praised, watching her clap in happiness at the praise. He'd found it very effective in keeping her from acting out, often distracting her before she could meltdown. "Mama's good baby."

"Ma." Kayla pouted, puckering her lips and making smacking noises until he kissed her gently. She squirmed off his lap and went to her toybox, returning with her favorite toy which happened to be the Iron Man figurine from Tony. She put it in his lap and stared expectantly at him.

"Woo! Great job for sharing! Good girl, Baby. Thank you for sharing." The dark haired man was enthusiastic in his praise, kissing her cheeks soundly.

He played whatever little game she came up with, pleased to finally have interaction after three weeks of shunning. His heart nearly burst in happiness as she whined for him to hold her when he set her down for a change.

"Shh, Doll. Mama will get ya cleaned right up." Bucky grinned, wiping her thoroughly before powdering her and putting the diaper on. "Good good little girl."

"Ma." She thrust her arms up demandingly, Bucky gladly holding her. Her little mouth was on his shirt, looking for something that he knew right away. He unbuttoned his shirt and moved it out of the way, smiling as she latched herself on.

"It is milk time, hm? You always seem to know when." The brunet man laughed slightly, stroking her hair which had grown slightly. He liked the feeling he got when she looked at him while nursing, like he was the most important thing in her universe. "Is it naptime too, baby?"

Her eyes were fluttering closed, still nursing strongly though and clinging to the side of Bucky’s shirt that was still in place. Finally the suckling ceased and silence reigned, broken only by her whimper when he stood from the rocking chair. Bucky went and laid in bed with her tucked against him securely, not really tired but let himself drift along in his thoughts while his precious Little slept.

Steve arrived home and found them in the bedroom, smiling at the sight and laid down on her other side. He dozed off, waking abruptly when an arm caught him in the face amid furious wails. "Eh? Half-Pint?"

She flung her arms out at Steve again, making him realize that she was trying to hit him and not very glad to see him. He sat up and moved all the way to the edge of the large bed, her hazel eyes locked on him.

"Bucky?" Steve called and the other man came in from the bathroom.

"Yeah?" Bucky sat by the Little, grinning as she crawled in his lap.

"She hit me." Steve frowned. "Do you think something is the matter?"

"Not a clue... She's fine with me now but not with you." The shaggy haired man rocked the whining Little in his lap, holding her close and trying to figure out what was going on.

"Let's call Bruce and Tony." Steve decided, grabbing his phone and dialing the familiar number.

"Hello? Peter! Put that down!" Tony's distracted voice rang out. "Don't make me tell Mommy. Mommy told you to listen to Daddy while he's busy. Sorry. What did you need?"

"Has Peter ever rejected either of you for a long time and clung to the other?" Steve’s hurt tone filled the device.

"Yeah. Sometimes he only wants Bruce near him and will scream bloody murder if I'm anywhere near. Peter! Get over here!" Tony barked out. "Other times, he's Daddy's sweet boy and hates Mommy with a vengeance. He just fluctuates. It's a Little/Baby thing. It's entirely normal. Just act as normal and ignore the behavior."

"Thanks, Tony." Steve hung up, grabbed Bucky and kissed him despite the upset Little between them. He kissed her forehead. "Daddy won't be tolerating your behavior, Baby. If you're sassy and mean to Daddy, I'll put you in time out."

"Gotta agree with Daddy, love bug." Bucky nodded, stroking Kayla's hair gently and pressing a kiss to Steve’s cheek. They'd power through it.

A few weeks later and all had returned to normal, she was equally clingy to both of her caregivers and wanting their attention.


	25. Roadtrips

"Do you have the cooler packed?" Steve was running around, looking frantically for things he thought they'd need. "Do you have enough underwear? Do I have enough underwear?!"

"Stevie. Calm down. Tony stocked the cabin for us and he can ship out anything we may need." Bucky soothed, bouncing their Little in his arms while she watched Steve run around like a chicken with its head cut off.

"Da!" She held her arms out, eyes seeming older as she came out of Little-space but keeping up the pretense to help Bucky calm Steve down. Her legs kicked out, nearly causing Bucky to drop her but he steadied his hold.

"Careful." Bucky whispered in her ear and getting a slight nod. "Steve, Baby wants you."

Steve came over and took her, not noticing the look exchanged between Bucky and Kayla. "Hey, Half-Pint. You leaving boring old Mama for your cool Daddy?"

"Don't make me give you a spanking." Bucky smirked at them, raising an eyebrow. His smirk vanished as he was shot in the face by the pacifier being spit out with great force and turned into a flying projectile. "Jesum Christmas!"

He'd been nailed right in the center of his forehead and had a large red mark. Steve stared for a good twenty seconds before cracking up, laughing so hard he had to sit down lest he drop the Little. Bucky sat pouting, clutching his forehead and giving Steve a dirty look for laughing.

"Half-Pint, that wasn't nice." Steve was still laughing hysterically though, clutching her to him tightly.

"No no, Mama! Me'!" Kayla raspberried at him, internally smirking because Bucky wouldn't be able to punish her much because Steve was laughing and not stressed.

"Mama was mean, huh?" Steve slowly calmed down, smiling at the Little and then at Bucky. "You gotta admit that that was funny. Naughty but funny."

"Fine, fine. But someone better hope Mama doesn't forget their favorite iron man toy at home." Bucky smiled, standing up with the pacifier in his flesh hand and poked it back into her mouth. "Silly baby."

"Daaaa..." Kayla pouted at Steve, slipping slightly back into Little-space and feeling very upset sat Bucky hinting that he would leave the toy home.

"Aw, honey. It's okay. Daddy already packed him in the diaper bag. He's safe and sound." Steve reassured her, nuzzling her soft hair. "Let's get some juice."

He took her to the kitchen and poured juice into a bottle after diluting it with some water, screwing the top on and putting the juice away. The blond grabbed the bottle and sat on one of the chairs, reclining her in his lap and feeding her the juice which pushed her completely back into headspace.

"Hey, Baby." Steve cooed, seeing that she was younger than before. "My tired girl. You can sleep in the car on the way to the cabin, yeah?"

Her hand touched his face for a second, hazel eyes focusing on the blue of her Daddy's eyes. She smiled around the nipple of the bottle and then closed her eyes, letting the soothing sound of Daddy's hearbeat put her to sleep. She was safe with Daddy and Mama, nothing could hurt her.

~Four hours later~

Bucky had been driving for three hours now, Steve sitting in the passenger seat reading a book while the Baby Little slept in the backseat.   
"She's not gonna sleep tonight if we let her keep sleeping." He noted.

"I only sleep four hours a night most nights anyways. I can stay up with her." Steve didn't look up from his book, turning the page. "Won't bother me any."

"If you say so. But she's gonna need to eat soon. It's been five hours since she had breakfast and four since you gave her that juice." Bucky turned left at the prompting of the GPS, following a long road that turned to gravel the farther they went. "And need a change."

He had just finished speaking when he heard soft whimpers that came from the backseat. The Little was awake and squirming unhappily in her seat, kicking the back of Steve's seat. "Ma!"

"Hey, hey. Shh." Bucky soothed, glancing into the review mirror and then focusing back on the road. He pulled off to the side of the road and unbuckled. "What's the matter, baby? Are you wet and hungry?"

Steve marked his page and unbuckled too, getting out to stretch his legs and got in the backseat by Kayla. "C'mere, Half-Pint. Daddy will get you all clean." He changed her carefully, making sure to wipe her down thoroughly.

Kayla whined, squirming around again at the cold air on her and trying to use Steve’s shirt to pull herself up to be closer to Daddy.

"Shh. Hold on, Baby. Almost done." Steve soothed, taping the sides of the diaper and tugged her leggings back up. "There we go!"  
He set her up in his lap, unbuttoning his shirt and feeding her while Bucky peed in the woods a bit away from them.

"Ugh... Much better." Bucky used some wipes to clean his hands and tossed them in the bag they used for garbage. "I'll wait til you're done and then we can get going again."

"Alright." Steve kissed Bucky briefly and then focused back on Kayla, smiling at her and feeling how she pressed into him. "Have I ever said how much I love how cuddly she is?"

"Only every other day." Bucky joked, stretching out his back.

~Two hours later~

They were arriving at their destination, a remote cabin that belonged to Tony and that he generously let them use. He had it stocked for their use and made sure there were supplies for about any situation that could arise short of someone blowing them to Asgard and back.

Bucky grinned in excitement and waited until Steve parked, grabbing Kayla out of her seat and running inside with her to check things out. He was overly excited, making sure she wasn't bounced too bad though.

"Okay. I'll bring in the bags." Steve pouted in their direction and carried the bags but left the cooler for now, taking the bags in and setting them in the entryway. "Oh wow." He was appropriately wowed by their surroundings and could see them enjoying themselves there.


	26. Roadtrips 2

Steve located Kayla and Bucky in the kitchen, looking out the window at the lake behind the cabin. "It sure is pretty out."

"Yeah. Can't wait to go swimming in it." Bucky grinned gleefully, holding Kayla on her feet as she bounced on her toes. "You got the walker?"

"All the stuff she needs is here. It's in a storage room next to the living room. I'll go get the walker if you check her diaper." Steve grinned, pecking Bucky's cheek and walking out of the living room.

"C'mere, Baby Doll." Bucky grabbed the diaper bag and his Little, carrying her over his shoulder and wrinkling his nose. "Woo... You left Mama a smelly one, huh?"

Kayla just cooed at him, looking happy at being held even as Bucky walked into the living room and laid out the changing mat. She did frown when she was laid down on the aforementioned mat, kicking her legs and whining.

"Hold on, Sugar." Bucky patted her belly, tugging her leggings down and discarding them to the side. He had the wipes at ready, untaping the sides of the diaper and wrinkling his nose as he breathed through his mouth while cleaning up every inch of her bottom. He powdered her thoroughly once he got the new diaper under her butt, taping up the sides and kissing her belly. "Such a good girl for Mama."

"Ma." She grinned, little dimples showing in her cheeks as Bucky cleaned his hands off with a wipe and chucked the poopy diaper into a plastic bag that he tied off.

"Who's your favorite? That's right. Mama is cause Mama takes care of your smelly butt." Bucky said it pointedly as Steve pushed the walker in, lifting Kayla as he stood and then putting her in the walker.

"Dada gags with poop." Steve wasn't even sorry for making Bucky change it. "Look at her go!"

Kayla was zooming as fast as her legs could take her, giggling madly as she ran into Steve's shins. The blond super-soldier gasped, dancing up and down on one foot as he clutched the attacked shin.

"Karma!" Bucky cackled, directing Kayla's walker the other way and watching her zoom off again. "She is kind of dangerous in that thing."

"You think?" Steve pouted adorably and Bucky kissed him firmly, taking advantage of their Little's distraction and reaffirming his love to Steve.

"Let's sit on the couch with our legs up so she can't run into us." Bucky suggested, making sure the living room doors were slid shut and then making his way to the couch. He sat cross-legged, watching Kayla with Steve sitting next to him. "How long til she tires herself out? Or cries to get out."

"Give it two minutes." Steve suggested, watching her crash into the wall twice and then back up to head at them. She stopped in front of them after crashing into the couch, looking at them with teary eyes before the waterworks actually started. "Told you."

"C'mere, Baby Doll." Bucky took her out of the walker and pushed it away with his foot before sitting down again. "Did Dada and Mama leave you in the walker?"

"Ma." The girl was unhappy still, burying her face into Bucky's chest and being a clingy bug. She only liked the walker for so long.

"Steve, can you grab the yogurt puffs?" Bucky rubbed the Little's cheek with his flesh hand's fingertips and feeling how she nuzzled into him more. Steve handed the bright yellow bag to Bucky and watched how he poked one into their Little's mouth. "Yummy, huh? It's snack time now."

"Mmm." Kayla's brilliant hazel eyes peered up at Bucky, looking happy as she was fed the puffs and then turning her head once she decided she was done.

"Stevie, can you take her? It's my turn to make dinner." Bucky carefully handed over the girl to Steve who grinned at him.

"Daddy-Baby Bonding!" Steve cheered, stripping off his shirt and undressing the Little to her diaper before laying on his back with her on his chest. He laid a light blanket over them, kissing the top of her head and feeling how she was sucking on her thumb. 

"Yuck. Don't do that, Half-Pint." He grabbed a pacifier from the handy-dandy diaper bag and poked it in her mouth. 

"Dada." Her voice was muffled from the pacifier, cold nose pressing into his chest as her body wiggled until she was comfortable. Steve's strong fingers were very gentle as he ran them through her soft hair, feeling very at peace as he heard Bucky singing in Romanian in the kitchen and Kayla's soft breathing on his chest.


	27. Episode

Bucky startled slightly, curling his fists and then forcing them to relax as he picked up Kayla who had tugged at his pant leg. He had been feeling off the whole morning, quiet and withdrawn from his surroundings.

"Ma?" His Little had a puzzled look, sensing that Bucky was different from normal.

"Hm." He tried to smile but it ended up as a grimace that made her whimper. The dark haired caregiver rose, carrying her onto the master bedroom and left her in the playpen as he checked the small fridge in the room that held water bottles and juice for the long nights of her crying. He went to the kitchen and returned with nonperishable food items, putting them in a safe place as he moved on autopilot.

He stocked the master bedroom as though they would be in there a while, adding a huge supply of diapers and wipes. Steve was gone for a few days and it was already day two with two left.

~On Tony and Bruce's floor~

"Sargent Barnes seems to be having an episode." JARVIS announced to Bruce who had been working on some paperwork.

"Oh no." Bruce ran a hand through his hair. "And Steve's not here to calm him down... What's he done with the Baby, JARVIS?"

"He has put her in the playpen in the Master Bedroom. He seems to be stock piling up as though he means to barricade them in." JARVIS reported.

"She is in no danger, right?" Bruce was already dialing Phil to tell him to get Steve out of wherever he was.

"Not from what my cameras are showing." JARVIS responded promptly.

"Thanks. Alert Tony please." Bruce then put his phone to his ear and listened to it ring.

"Coulson." Phil answered briskly.

"We have a situation." Bruce didn't waste time. "Bucky’s having an episode and we need Steve."

"Is anyone in danger currently?" Phil was torn between Work Phil and Home Phil.

"He's alone with their Little. I don't know what will happen if he's left alone for a longer period of time with her." Bruce reported and Phil actually swore.

"We can't get Steve out earlier than noon tomorrow." Phil pinched the bridge of his nose.

"That could be too late!" Bruce forced himself to stay calm, taking deep breaths.

"It's the best we can do. Keep an eye on it and try to get him calm. Nat should be arriving home tonight. Have her try." Phil coached gently.

"I'll try." Bruce hung up on Phil, watching Peter do his homework at the table.

~Back with Bucky~

Little Kayla receded, Big Kayla coming into focus as she took in the situation around her. Bucky was pacing the room methodically, armed to the teeth and watching for any potential threats coming from outside the rooms. His expression was tight and cold, no sign of Mama Bucky at all and a heavy lethal air around him.

"Mama." She called, testing him and he came over to her silently. His flesh hand stroked her hair once before he went back to pacing around until he was satisfied with the security. Bucky sat on the low dresser close to the playpen, watching her intensely as she looked back at him.

The girl wasn't afraid though, trusting in their bond that he would not harm her if she didn't do anything wrong. She moved herself over to the side closest to him, looking up at him still and just sitting quietly while sucking on the inside of her mouth unconsciously. He leaned forward suddenly, startling her and she tipped over.

The dark haired man frowned, the first change in expression since the grimace earlier and he lifted her back upright. He then continued what he had leaned over in the first place for, putting a pacifier into her mouth. He leaned back again and continued his vigil until she whined at him, squirming in place. She was pretending to still be in Little-space to make her life easier.

The smaller brunette rose to her knees, reaching up to him and opening and closing her hands to be picked up. After a moment he did, looking at her with an unfathomable expression before pressing his flesh hand onto her stomach. She had been holding it, not entirely sure she was okay with the Winter Soldier changing her.

She whimpered quietly, squirming to free herself but failing and feeling how he continued to press right over her bladder until she wet herself. Her hazel eyes filled with tears and she cried, Little Kayla rushing back to take control and demanding a change in baby words which was just repeating the word wet over and over.

His brow creased slightly and he laid her down, changing the wet diaper methodically and wiping thoroughly before adding the baby powder and taping the sides up. He propped her up at the head of the bed and put the pacifier back in her mouth, patting her head carefully and starting his pacing again. The assassin stopped in front of the door, listening closely to footsteps that came closer. He shot through the door, hearing metal ping after and the sound of his Little crying.

Little Kayla definitely did not like this one bit, burrowing herself under the covers and breathing in Daddy's scent off his side of the bed. Her sniffles were muffled and she just wanted Mama back to normal.

"Told you it was a good idea for me to go first." Tony's voice came through faintly, addressing Bruce behind him.

"He just shot you." Bruce sighed.

"Unc Ny!" The Little on the bed popped up, hearing her favorite Uncle's voice and reaching towards the door much to the Soldier's consternation. His Little was reacting favorably to the voices but he was not about to let her out of the room, he wouldn't be able to protect her as well out of these two rooms.

"Hiya, Baby. Tell your Mama to let us in, yeah? We just want to talk and make sure you're both okay." Tony's calm voice spoke slowly, directly addressing the Little and hoping she understood what he wanted.

"Ma! Unc Ny!" She cried out, attempting to get off the bed and nearly falling which had the soldier lunging to grab her. Her hand wound into his hair, holding lightly and looking at him with big eyes.

"Cupcake, Uncle Bruce is here too." Bruce's voice came through now.

"Unc Bu." She whispered, looking towards the door and reaching with her free hand.

"Barnes, we aren't going to hurt you or your Little. So please. Let us in. You can search us for weapons." Bruce tried this time now. "You are Sargent James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. Husband of Steven Grant Rogers."

The two sat outside the door for two hours, trying to talk to Bucky who ignored them in favor of staring at his Little who whined every so often. He did not understand what she wanted until he remembered that he had to feed the Little and set her on the bed. They had a little bottle heater and he warmed some pumped milk, sitting and helping her drink the bottle.

This pattern continued through until Bedtime when he actually set down most of his weapons and held her until she went to sleep in his lap.

He stayed awake all night, watching even in the darkness as JARVIS had dimmed the lights.

~1:30 pm the next day~

Steve set his bags down and made his way to the door. "Bucky, I'm home. Open the door, Buck. I want to see the Baby."

"Dada!" Steve sighed in relief as he heard the Little's voice call for him.

"Bucky, open up." Steve ordered and after half an hour of waiting, the door was opened slowly. He entered and ignored the gun pointed at him, focusing on the Little for a moment. "Hey, Half-Pint."

"Dada." She waved from the bed, staying where she had been put.

"Bucky, Babe. Come back to me, yeah? It's me, Stevie. Remember?" He turned to Bucky and pushed the gun away, putting his hands on Bucky’s face and beginning his ritual he does to bring Bucky back to himself. It took nearly two hours, Bucky looking exhausted by the end of it and ashamed. "Hey, sugar. Welcome back."

"Stevie." Bucky’s voice cracked and he held onto the other man tightly. "I could have hurt her."

"But you didn't. C'mon. Why don't you get in the bath and I put all these weapons away?" Steve spoke firmly but lovingly, helping Bucky with each weapon and watching his husband go off into the bathroom. Steve emptied each gun and locked them up in the gun safe before putting the knives back in the case and putting it up high before going to the bed where the Little dozed. "Hey, sweetheart. There's Daddy's girl. C'mon, let's get you in the bath for cuddles." He stripped her and took her to Bucky who held her hesitantly like he was afraid to touch her.

"Stevie... I don't even know what triggered it this time. I just felt off all day yesterday and the next thing I know is I had a gun aimed at you." Bucky was ashamed, not looking at his husband.

"James Buchanan. It is not your fault. Everyone has episodes. You did not hurt anyone. You locked yourself away and protected your Little. You do not need to beat yourself up for this." Steve held Bucky’s face in his hands, keeping eye contact. "It's happening less and less. This is the first one in about 8 months, did you know that? Almost a year."

"Is it?" Bucky was startled, thinking back and realizing that he hasn't had one since before they found Kayla. "I hadn't realized... And the nightmares have mostly stopped too."

"Exactly. You're getting better." Steve kissed him softly. "Also. I'm proud of you for only shooting through the door once."

"I hit Tony through the door though I think." Bucky wrinkled his nose.

"Yep. But he was anticipating you shooting through the door and wore the suit." Steve chuckled softly, washing Bucky’s hair while Bucky washed Kayla's hair carefully. "Said he was impressed with your accuracy."

"Of course he did. Stevie, hand me the cup please." Bucky pointed to the blue cup they used when one of them took a bath with the Little. He dipped it into the water and rinsed the shampoo out, chuckling at her sleepy whine. "Poor kid. She's so put out from having her hair rinsed."

"Ma." Her face turned into his chest. She didn't like being laughed at.

"I could use a nap myself." Steve admitted and rinsed Bucky’s hair of the shampoo. He took the Little and helped Bucky out, handing him a towel and then a naked Kayla. "Need to get her towel."

"Wooow, Steve." Bucky teased, rocking the Little girl and then helping Steve wrap her up. "There's diapers next to the bed." He carried her in and laid her down.

"As long as we don't have to put pajamas on her, I'm good." Steve assisted Bucky with the diapering and the subsequent feeding of their Little, unable to keep his hands off his husband and child. They settled back, Bucky between Steve’s legs and Kayla in Bucky's lap with her cheek on his chest. The three settled in for a family nap, Steve holding them both closely and protectively at the same time.


	28. Cry

"No, Dada!" The Little threw her arms out, making grabby hands for him to pick her back up. Steve blinked at her, looking confused. "Up!"

"I thought you wanted down." Steve was bemused, willingly picking her up again though. "Better, Half-Pint?"

"Uh huh." Her arms held onto his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist, clinging like a spider monkey. She had asked to be put down before but that had been before Steve had turned to leave the room for something.

"It's gonna be hard to make dinner like this, Baby. You sure you don't wanna stay in here and play while I cook?" The blond smiled at his Little.

"No!" Her lower lip jutted out in a huge pout, looking at her caregiver. She was taken into the kitchen, Steve using one arm to hold her up.

"I'm gonna put you in the highchair then, Cupcake." Steve carefully detangled her from his body and strapped her in, clicking the plastic tray into place as she looked at him with a betrayed face. "Sorry, Honey. I don't want you to get hurt while I use the stove."

"Nuh!" Kayla whined, reaching for Steve again and throwing her upper body against the straps. Her pale skin had already gained red marks under her clothes from her thrashing and attempted escape.

"I'll put you in timeout if you keep that up, Honey. Be Daddy's good girl while I cook." Steve stroked her hair soothingly. "It won't take long."

"Ou' pease!" She cried desperately, trying to free herself from the highchair as tears filled her hazel eyes. "Dada! Pease!"

"Baby, shh. I'm right here. I'll turn you around so you can watch me." Steve turned the highchair to face the direction of the stove. "Here, Honey."

He prodded the pacifier into her mouth to help her calm down.

Her legs kicked out, frustrated whines coming from her mouth from behind the pacifier as she cried. She did NOT want to be in the highchair, she just wanted Daddy to hold her and couldn't understand why he wasn't. Her eyes never left Steve as he cooked dinner for the two of them, reaching out any time he got close to her and trying to get him to hold her.

"I know, I know. Five more minutes, okay? Then I'll feed you dinner and then we can have some cuddles." Steve soothed, stepping back out of her reach and turning back to the stove. "Soon, Half-Pint."

"Maaaaa?" She called for Bucky, momentarily giving up on Steve and calling for her other caregiver. Bucky however was gone on a mission for a week and wouldn't be home for five more days.

"Mama's not home, honey." Steve reminded her gently and sighed as the tears started back up. "Shh, shh... He'll be home in a few days. What's got you so upset?"

"Maaaaaaaaa!" The Little screamed again, looking around and ignoring Steve who was still speaking to her. Her chest heaved with sobs, looking heartbroken that Bucky was not there.

"Aw, baby." Steve sighed again, turning off the stove as dinner was done cooking and made his way over to the crying girl. "I know, you miss Mama. But guess what! Mama's gonna call us before bedtime."

"Ou?" She sniffled, reaching for Steve again and he took her out. He knew this wasn't being consistent and would lead her to think that it would work every time but he hated making her cry.

"Just this once, Baby. Crying won't always get you picked up out of there." He warned, getting them bowls of soup with one hand and carrying them one by one to the table. He seated himself with her in his lap, feeding her from her small bowl first before eating his own dinner while she cuddled into him. Her head rested on his chest, mumbling softly to herself. "Is my girl tired?"

"Nuh." She shook her head, looking up at him with watery eyes again. Steve wasn't sure why she was so teary today but he knew seeing Bucky would probably help her.

"Okay, you aren't tired. Daddy's wide awake Half-Pint." Steve soothed yet again, rubbing her back with one hand while he ate with his other hand. "How about a movie until Mama calls?"

"Mm." The Little hummed in agreement, face buried in Steve’s chest as she waited for him to finish.

"Hm. What about Cinderella? That's one of Daddy's favorites." Steve set the dishwasher to go after loading it and then made his way into the living room. He changed her diaper quickly and then left her with no clothes on, undressing to his boxers to promote skin to skin contact. He laid down on his back, Kayla on his chest as JARVIS started the movie.

Every so often he'd hear her sniffle, looking down each time to make sure she was okay and that it wouldn't escalate to full tears. The super-soldier would be asking Bruce if it was normal for her to cry so much once she went to bed. The call from Bucky popped up as a video chat which was answered promptly.

"Hey, you two." Bucky smiled tiredly, looking at his husband and their Little who promptly burst into tears at the sight of him. "Aw no, Baby. Shh. Don't cry."

"Maaa." She whimpered, reaching towards the image of his face and sobbing harder.

"Doll, don't cry." Bucky felt bad, exchanging a look with Steve. "Have you been having fun with Daddy?"

"Nuhhhh." The brunette wailed, burying her face in Steve's chest again.

"She's been crying most of the afternoon." Steve sighed, rubbing the Little's back and guiding her head to his nipple to nurse before bed. "She does not want to be put down or left in a room."

"Maybe she doesn't feel good or she's overtired. She take a n-a-p?" Bucky questioned, rubbing his aching chest and grumbling.

"Yeah she did. An extra long one... God, I hope she's not getting sick." Steve looked at the girl in his lap, holding her tightly.

"Keep an eye on it and talk to Bruce ASAP." Bucky suggested. "Miss you guys."

"We miss you too, Babe." Steve smiled at his husband fondly. "Cannot wait for you to get home. It's only been two days and my chest is sore from her wanting to nurse so much."

"I thought it was only me she did that with. She nurses a lot when you're gone." Bucky laughed loudly, Clint scolding him in the background.

"She's a stress eater then." Steve joked, playing with the soft brown hair on his Little and switching her to the other side. "I'll ask Bruce about that later too."

The two chatted for a bit longer, Bucky hanging up after an hour. Steve looked down and saw Kayla sleeping in his lap. He chuckled lowly, checking her diaper and changing it carefully to not wake her.

~5:30 am~

Steve felt tired, having gotten up multiple times when the Little cried during the night and finally brought her into his bed around 3 am. He wasn't fond of doing that but for the sake of getting sleep, he would.

"Why are you so fussy?" The blond spoke to the sleeping Little in his arms. He rested his head against hers, inhaling the soft baby scent and squeezing her lightly.

Steve laid there for over two hours, humming under his breath and waiting for her to wake up. Finally he felt a small mouth moving against him until it found a nipple, latching on to feed from him with a tired whine. He snorted, looking amused.

"I'm just a food source, hm?" Steve joked, helping her shift her body to a more comfortable position. "I love you, Baby."

"Uhve oo." Kayla let go of his chest and beamed at Daddy, seemingly in a better mood for the moment. She soon resumed the nursing session and snuffled softly against his skin, taking in the scent of Daddy.

"Our smart girl." Steve looked so proud, smiling widely at her.

The peace lasted until a few hours later when Tony and Bruce were over with Peter. Steve had gone to give Peter a hug and she screamed, already tearing up from her spot in her bouncer.

"Aw, kid. What's wrong?" Tony motioned Steve off, getting up to get the Little from her prison which led to her bursting into noisy tears.

"Da!" She reached for him, opening and closing her hands in a plea to be held. Steve changed his path and made his way over, scooping her up and sitting on the recliner.

"Nap time, Baby?" Steve questioned as he shifted her to rest against his chest again. It only took a few minutes and she was out like a light, clutching Steve’s shirt desperately.

"That been happening often?" Tony had a passed out Peter in his lap also, looking at Steve.

"Just since Bucky’s been gone. Mostly yesterday and last night." Steve spoke only loud enough for the other two adults to hear without waking the Littles.

"She's just expressing how she feels. Babies and toddlers do that because they don't have the vocabulary or means to tell us what's wrong." Bruce explained, resting his head on Tony's shoulder. "Crying actually helps get rid of stress. So sometimes all they need is a good cry to help reset their emotions. I know our instincts tell us to try to soothe or fix what is wrong but sometimes there isn't anything truly wrong."

"I don't like it. I hate when she cries. I feel like I'm failing her." Steve said morosely, cradling his Little closer. "Bucky hates it too. She cried when she saw him over the video chat last night too."

"Sounds like she's just missing him and clinging to you so you won't leave." Bruce smiled softly at Steve. "Just keep reassuring her. Let her know that you aren't going anywhere. Or get her in her Big headspace and talk to her."

"Yeah. Maybe..." Steve agreed. "I'll see how she feels after her nap..."

"This playdate sucked. We suck at playdates. Something always happens." Tony groaned, leaning his head back. "We have such bad luck."

"Maybe next time." Bruce spoke optimistically. "We just need to keep trying."

"Yeah. Let's go and leave Capsicles with my favorite niece." Tony stood, groaning as he lifted Peter with him and the trio lef after saying goodbye.

"Just us now, baby." Steve murmured to the sleeping Little in his arms and she mumbled quietly in her sleep. Steve tilted his head back and closed his eyes, hoping to take a quick nap to augment what little sleep he had gotten last night.

~Five full days later~

Steve was worn out, head actually throbbing from hearing constant baby screams and crying for six days. He was currently crying quietly, praying she didn't wake up again because her crying would start right back up and he would not be able to handle it. The small crying fits had worked up to constant crying for three days straight except when she fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion or went into strange silent episodes, clinging tightly to Steve with no sign of letting go.

He was so lost in his head that he didn't hear the elevator opening down the hall or the heavy sound of Bucky’s boots coming towards the only room with the door shut. His entire focus was on trying not to break down even more than he was, caregiver mark twinging even while the Little slept.

"Stevie?" Bucky spoke lowly, setting his bags down quietly and moving to the bed where his lover was curled up with their Little in his lap. "Hey, Babe. Here, give me her and you go shower. I'll take care of her. You need a break."

Steve didn't even fully register who was talking, handing over the Little and shuffling off like a zombie. He stripped naked and got in the running shower, letting the hot water wash away his tears as soon as they left his eyes.

"Hey hey. None of that." Bucky shushed the Little who had startled awake at being moved and already looked like she'd cry. "Mama's home now. Nothing to be upset about."

"Ma." Her small hand touched his cheek, feeling the smooth skin that he had shaved before they left the rented hotel room to go home. He'd come home with a beard once and she had been terrified of him until it was gone. Steve had laughed himself sick at the situation.

"No more crying, sweet girl. Dada's gonna have a breakdown if you do." Bucky swayed, rocking her in his lap before moving her to lay on the bed long enough for him to undress. "Ah ah. You're just fine, Baby."

She rolled onto her belly, pushing herself up and reaching for Bucky now. The dark haired caregiver picked her up as soon as he was in his boxers, smiling at her widely.

"Baby Doll, you have no clue how much I missed you and your daddy." Bucky smacked a kiss on her cheek with an exaggerated noise before repeating the process on the other side. He chuckled as she squirmed down, mouth going for the nipple immediately. "Ah, I see. You didn't miss Mama cause he loves you, you missed him for his milk."

She shot him a sleepy yet dirty look, like she was judging him for saying that as big Kayla bled through ever the slightest. Of course she had missed him because she loved him and he loved her, he was her Mama and one of the most important people in her life.

"BUCKY." Steve was heard from outside the bathroom, soaking wet super-soldier running out in excitement. "You're here. Holy shit. You're really here." He got on the bed and kissed Bucky over their baby's head.

"Calm down, Punk. You're gonna catch pneumonia like that." Bucky teased, pecking Steve’s lips as he reminded him of his naked state. Steve blushed and went to dry off, returning in clean boxers for cuddling. "Much better... Doll, have you been giving Daddy a hard time?"

"It don't matter anymore. You're home." Steve didn't even care about the past week of crying. "Bruce says she probably was feeling you being gone intensely because of her  _issues_  and that as soon as you returned and are here consistently, that it'll stop."

"You and I both have vacation time we can use if you want." Bucky offered, smoothing a hand over Steve’s cheek and then smiling.

"Sounds good. How about a stay-cation though?" Steve questioned, yawning widely as Bucky sniggered.

"Sounds like a plan, Babe. Go to sleep." Bucky ordered gently and sat back against the headboard as Steve cuddled to him and Kayla.


	29. Safe

Bucky was currently cooking breakfast with his little koala clinging to him, her head on his shoulder as he held her under the butt with his metal arm and cooking with his flesh hand. "Morning, Stevie."

"Hey. That's not safe." Steve frowned, moving to stand next to them. "I'll hold her while you cook."

"Go by Daddy, Munchkin." Bucky heard the muffled whine that came from his Little and chuckled. "I know. You want to be by me but Daddy's pretty cool too sometimes."

"Sometimes." Steve snorted, taking the Little and holding her so she could watch Bucky cook. "What's Mama doing, Half-Pint? Is he cooking up something good?"

"Uh huh." Kayla nodded solemnly, eyes focused on Bucky for a bit before she looked at Steve and gave him baby kisses.

"Oh thank you, Sweetheart." Steve smiled brightly at her. "Love you."

"Uhve oo." She cooed back, nuzzling Steve and then focused back on Bucky while sucking on her fingers.

"Yuck, Kayla. Don't suck on your fingers." Steve chastised softly, tugging her fingers out and slipping a pacifier in. "Let's clean your hands before breakfast, yeah?"

"Nuhuh pease." She shook her head, polite as she could be. "Pease."

"Sorry, Baby. Gotta wash those fingers." Steve chuckled, taking her to the sink and washing her hands carefully. "All done."

"Dada." She gave him the stink eye, wiping her wet hands on his face.

"You, Ma'am, are a stink bug." Steve stuck his tongue out at the Little. "Bucky Babe, is breakfast done?"

"Yeah. Lemme plate it up." Bucky chuckled, putting oatmeal in a bowl for their Little and then plating up food for Steve. "Eat up. I'll feed Baby Doll."

"You sure?" Steve questioned, tilting his head like a confused puppy and yelped as his nose was grabbed. "Hey now, Little Miss. Leave Daddy's big nose alone."

Bucky snickered, setting Steve's plate down and taking their Little who cackled with glee at having successfully grabbed Steve's nose. "I worry about you sometimes."

"I worry about her too." Steve agreed, eating his breakfast as Bucky fed Kayla. "She is definitely hanging out with Tony too much."

"Unc Ny?" Kayla peered around, looking for Tony and then getting distracted by her breakfast. She devoured the whole bowl along with some fruit puree as she was still hungry.

"Let's go have some walker time." Steve stole her from Bucky, chuckling at the fake scowl on his husband's face.

"Don't forget your leg guards!" Bucky called after them, referencing the fact that Kayla had the tendency to run into their legs.

"Yeah, yeah." Steve made sure all the doors were shut, buckled her into the walker and set her free. He watched her explore, hearing the Little's giggles and occasional babbling. "You're getting so good at that, Baby."

"Ma!" Kayla had made her way back to the kitchen and parked herself next to Bucky.

"Come to keep me company?" Bucky smiled, ruffling her hair with his metal hand.

"Uhve oo." Kayla cooed without being prompted, tilting her head into his touch.

"I love you too." Bucky was smiling, glad to be home now.

~Two hours later~

Bucky was sitting in the chair, Kayla sitting with her knees on either side of his legs and her hands on his chest as he bounced her. "Woah! Was that fun?"

"Uh huh!" She nodded quickly, leaning forward and planting a drooly kiss on his cheek.

"Good. I'm glad." Bucky chuckled, making sure not to wipe his face. Her expression changed as she sat quietly for a minute. "You big, Baby?"

"Yeah. This is weird." Kayla simply leaned forward more and rested her head against his chest. "I couldn't make myself be big the whole time you were gone but now that you're back, I can."

"Little you was just in a highly emotional state." Bucky rubbed her back, smiling at her softly. "Right, Stevie?"

"Yeah. It would make sense for your Little self to take complete control when it was an emotional time." Steve came over and sat near them, looking much better after sleeping for awhile.

"Ugh. I just wanted to be Big to stop crying." She grumbled, pressing her face more into Bucky’s chest and enjoying him surrounding her in his arms. It was warm and safe in his lap, held by Bucky and Steve close by to them. "You were stressed out and it made me stressed even more. The emotional feed between us is higher when one of you stressed."

"Are you saying you can feel our emotions?" Bucky frowned.

"Only sometimes. Mostly when you're very happy or very stressed." Her voice was sleepy, being lulled to sleep by Bucky’s steady heartbeat and body heat. "I've never felt you angry."

"I hope you never do." Steve rubbed her back as he leaned forward. "Are you ready for a nap?"

"Not a baby." Kayla frowned against Bucky's chest, twisting her head to look at Steve.

"No, of course not. You aren't a baby." Steve soothed, keeping a serious look on his face until she went back to her previous position with her face smushed against Bucky. The blond grinned, looking at Bucky who smiled back. "You're our big girl."

"Yup." She agreed, pleased that he acknowledged she was Big. Her breathing slowed, eyes closed and thumb slipped into her mouth.

The two super-soldiers waited for a few minutes until they were sure she was asleep, carefully moving her thumb out of her mouth and replacing it with a pacifier. They breathed a sigh of relief when she remained asleep, exchanging a look.

"We should talk to Phil, Tony and Bruce to see if they knew about if Littles can feel their caregivers emotions." Steve sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"We can do it once all the Littles are in bed." Bucky nodded, shifting his flesh arm carefully and getting the pins and needles out. He wrapped it back around his Little girl's upper body, making sure she was secure. "Then we don't have to worry about Little ears hearing things they shouldn't."

"Tonight?" Steve questioned, resting an elbow on his knee and his chin in his palm as he looked at Bucky and Kayla.

"As soon as possible." Bucky smiled at Steve. "I want to know."

"Me too." Steve fished a sketchbook out of the drawer in the coffee table, grabbing a pencil too and began drawing his husband and their Little.


	30. Alone

"Go, go. I'll be fine for a few hours." Kayla shooed her caregivers away as the alarm to assemble blared. "I'm Big. It'll be fine. Go. Save people." 

"Hurry up, Stevie. She'll be fine." Bucky dragged Steve out, heading to the Quinjet.

She waited a few minutes and then went to take a bath, soaking in the hot water and groaning happily. She was never left alone except to sleep in the nursery so she was determined to make the most of it, making herself spaghetti O's and ignoring the pureed foods that Steve had been planning on feeding her before the alarm had gone off. The brunette made herself comfortable on the couch and put on the Conjuring.

"Little Miss, I do not believe Captain Rogers and Sargent Barnes would approve of you watching a horror movie." JARVIS' voice sounded almost judging.

"Shh. It'll be fine. I watched things like this all the time before I met them." Kayla spoke reproachfully to JARVIS, choosing to not mention that she would get scared and cry sometimes. "I'm Big right now anyways. It probably won't even register with Little Me."

"Fine." JARVIS' tone was now blatantly judging.

"Okay, JARVIS." She hummed, watching the movie and finishing it shortly before Steve and Bucky arrived. They both looked worse for wear and like they were ready to drop but very happy to see her.

"Hey there, Baby." Steve came over and kissed her head. "We're gonna shower and then it's time for bed, Half-Pint."

"Okay, Daddy." Kayla nodded, wrapped completely in the comforter off their bed.

"What's the matter, Baby?" Steve frowned, taking in her burritoed state and the cartoons on the TV.

"Nothing, Daddy." She tried for a smile, tilting her head adorably to try and portray that there wasn't anything wrong.

"Uh huh." Steve went into the bathroom by Bucky who looked done with life.

"I wish we could just stay home and not have to fight. I hate fighting." Bucky grumbled, undressing and getting in the running shower where Steve joined him. They washed off and did some brief stress relief before getting out, dressing each other. "I don't even want to give her a bath."

"Little Miss took a bath while you were gone." JARVIS announced.

"Oh good. Makes life easier." Bucky went off to the living room and picked up their burritoed Little, taking her to the nursery and tossing the blanket at Steve before diapering her. "Are you wanting to nurse? Or did you eat while we were gone?"

"I ate right after you left." She preferred sleeping in just the diaper, squirming slightly because she wanted off the changing table before Steve could attempt to get pajamas on her once he saw Bucky hadn't.

"You want to nurse then?" Bucky lifted her up after putting his own shirt on her, looking at her softly.

"Yes, Mama." Kayla hugged him around the neck, cuddling into her Mama. Sometimes she called them Steve and Bucky when Big but mostly she stuck with Daddy and Mama.

"Alright, Doll." Bucky sat down, turning her in his lap and helping her into a comfortable position. He tilted his head back, humming softly while she fed from him and thinking about the next day's plans. "You have a good time while we were gone?"

"Mm." She hummed noncommittally around his nipple, curling more in his lap and then turning herself to the other side. Her fingers played with the edges of his hair, tangling in it and rubbing her thumb across the silky strands.

"Tired?" Bucky cupped her cheek with his metal hand, holding her up with his flesh arm. 

"Sleep with you and Daddy?" Kayla asked, done with her milk and looking at him.

"You know Daddy doesn't like when we break routine, Baby." Bucky sighed. "I'd let you but you know how Stevie is."

"Okay, Mama." She looked disappointed and also a bit afraid.

"Love you, Baby Doll. Do you want to drop back into Little-space?" Bucky rocked her gently.

"Yes." She nodded, burying her face in Bucky's chest after he pressed a pacifier into her mouth. Bucky swaddled her carefully, knowing it would almost certainly drop her into Little-space and he was correct.

"Goodnight, Sweetheart." Bucky kissed her forehead and laid her in the crib, turning on the mobile before leaving the nursery. He curled up with Steve, nuzzling his husband. "Love you, Stevie."

"Love you too, Buck." Steve wrapped his arms around his love, holding the brunet close.

~Two hours later~

Steve woke up to a screaming Little calling for him, sounding very distressed. He stumbled to his feet, making his way into the nursery to get her. "Shh, shh. Daddy's coming. Hey, it's okay."

Steve scooped her up after unswaddling the Little, changing her diaper before taking her to the master bedroom. He murmured reassurances in her ear, sitting on the bed as Bucky sat up.

"Whassa matter?" Bucky yawned, rubbing his face as he peered at them.

"I don't know." Steve rocked the Little in his arms, feeling the twinge in his shoulder in his caregiver mark. "Hey, hey. It's okay, Baby. Shh. Mama and Daddy are right here."

After ten minutes of rocking and quiet murmurs, she calmed down and looked at them with big eyes. Her cheeks and eyes were red and her nose dripped with snot, looking pitiful.

"Oh, Half-Pint." Steve pressed her head to his chest, keeping her close. "Can you hand me a tissue?"

"Sure." Bucky gave him a tissue and watched the blond mop up Kayla's tears and snot from her face. "Knew I should have let her sleep with us."

"What do you mean?" Steve looked up from his Little.

"She asked to sleep with us. I knew something was off but didn't look into it." Bucky pressed his hand to his face.

"Little Miss had a nightmare, most likely due to her watching the Conjuring while you were gone." JARVIS announced quietly, letting them in on her movie choice.

"The Conjuring? Really..." Bucky sighed as Steve groaned.

"We'll deal with that when she's big but for now, let's go to bed." Steve leaned back, helping her into position and pulling the blanket up as her small hand kneaded his other pec.


	31. Front

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief peek at things that happened behind the scenes

Steve didn't know whether to laugh or scream, staring at the Little who was sitting on the floor with marker all over her face and the floor. He prayed it wasn't permanent marker and crouched down in front of her, adopting an open expression. "Hey, Baby. What do you have there?"

"Dada~" She chirped, holding the marker out to show him her treasure.

"I see you have a marker. Can Dada have it?" He asked gently and had the marker handed to him after a moment. "You shouldn't play with these, Sugar."

"No no?" Kayla asked, tilting her head adorably.

"That's right. It's a no no." Steve tapped her nose. "Let's get you cleaned up."

It was not sharpie thankfully but it was not made to go on fabric like the carpet and her shirt. Steve groaned internally, carrying her to the bathroom after capping the marker and putting it up out of reach. He wished Bucky was there to assist with the arduous task of bathing the Little, Kayla having issues even in Little-space to allow them to bathe her.

"No!" She squirmed as soon as they entered the bathroom, flinging her head back into his shoulder repeatedly.

"Yes. Stop it, Baby. You need a bath." Steve spoke firmly. "You are filthy and covered in marker. That means bath time."

The Little wailed, flailing as she was stripped and set in the tub of warm water. Steve sighed, carefully washing her skin with a soft washcloth and then her long hair. He groaned as a wave of water splashed onto him.

"Kayla, no." He tapped her nose. "We're almost done. Just give me a few minutes, okay?"

Her lower lip trembled, hazel eyes watery and breathing speeding up. It was signs of a full overtired toddler meltdown and he knew it would be a disaster. The blond cursed internally and finished rinsing her hair, snatching her up from the tub and wrapping her in the towel right as the waterworks began.

"Shh, shh. Please. Please, Baby. Stop crying." Steve rocked her in his lap, ignoring that they were both all wet and that the floor didn't feel great on his knees. "Hey, hey. All done. Bath time is all done now. I know, Daddy's so mean for making you take a bath. Let's get you dried off and warmed up."

Kayla curled up in the towel, burying her face in Steve's chest. Her little cries were still going strong though, telling Steve she was unhappy still. He rose to his feet and carried her to the nursery to get dressed.

"My Little girl, hm." Steve smiled at her, bouncing her gently as they walked. He laid her down after scrubbing her with a towel to get off excess water before diapering her lovingly. "We can cuddle together before nap time. Daddy-Baby bonding." He carried her back to the master bedroom for snuggles.

~~~~~~~~~

"It's suspiciously quiet..." Bucky spoke lowly, peering around before getting up. "Where is she? Kayla!"

He walked through the floor to the living room and stopped short at what he saw. The brunet caretaker pinched the bridge of his nose for a second as he processed.

"Stop licking the rock! Yuck, get that out of your mouth!" He had never expected to say those words. He dropped to his knees and pried her mouth open after she pushed a piece of rock in, scooping the relatively big piece of rock out of her mouth. "Where did you even get a rock?! Stevie! Your Little is trying to eat a rock!"

"What?" Steve came out of the master bedroom, hair damp and shirtless. "Baby, no. Gross. Where did she even get that?!"

"I don't know." Bucky checked in her mouth for any more chunks of rock and took it to the garbage. "Goddammit. We need to babyproof even more."

"Child, you'll give your Mama grey hair and he can't even get grey hair." Steve scooped the Little up, holding her close to his warm skin. "No no. No licking rocks."

"Da." She was sulking about her rock being taken away.

"Little weirdo." Bucky kissed her forehead and went to finish his breakfast.

"Now... Let's brush your teeth and then we're off to the park!" Steve spoke cheerfully, carrying her to the bathroom and brushing her teeth for her.

~~~~~~~~

"Pease." Kayla begged, aged to about three.

"No." Steve shook his head.

"Pease. Wan' a boyfend." She pouted, clutching at Steve's sweater.

"No boyfriends." Steve tapped her nose, lifting her into his lap. "Too young."

"Daaaaaddy." Kayla whined, pulling at his sweater angrily. "Wan' a boyfend!!"

"Sorry, Baby. But I said no." Steve frowned, moving her hands off his sweater so she wouldn't stretch the collar. "No boyfriends till you're 37."

"Bu' pease! Pease!" Kayla pleaded, pulling at his hold on her hands. "Petey be my boyfend!"

"Bucky... Come explain why she can't have a boyfriend!" Steve gave up.

"What about a boyfriend?" Bucky came in, hair in a bun and wearing a sweater also.

"Petey can!" Kayla started whacking her head on her Daddy's firm pec.

"C'mere, Babycakes." Bucky lifted her from Steve's lap and held her. "Boyfriends suck. Okay? Stay single forever cause me and Daddy will love you unconditionally unlike a boyfriend."

"No." She shook her head, sounding just like Steve had ten minutes prior. "Boyfend."

"Uncle Bruce won't let Peter be your boyfriend, Baby because Peter is a Little boy. And he's too young to date too." Steve chimed in again.

"Ugh." She huffed, curling into Mommy and sucking her thumb.

"How about some ice cream? Ice cream is better than boyfriends." Bucky carried her into the kitchen and set her on the counter. "Don't move, baby."

"Otay, Mommy." Kayla nodded solemnly, eyes focused on Bucky intently as he moved around the kitchen and gathered supplies. He made them little banana splits and smiled as he watched her devour it.


	32. Back

Bucky woke up to the sound of a door shutting, breaking over the crest of his subconscious and landing into consciousness. His blue grey eyes slowly blinked open and took in the sight of his Little and Husband both asleep in bed with him still. His brow furrowed in confusion, a jolt of alarm racing down his spine and he sat up quickly. He carefully got off the bed and opened the nightstand drawer to get the handgun.

The brunet made his way out of the bedroom, searching each room thoroughly as he made his way through the hall. He stopped in front of the elevator, rubbing his forehead before turning and shooting into the closet. He heard a shriek and a thump of something hitting the door after a second.

"Fucker." Bucky spit, opening the door and Sharon Carter fell out. He dragged her by the shirt and duct taped her hands behind her. "Fuck this."

"Steve is mine!" She shouted, glaring at Bucky hatefully. She had completely lost her mind, furious beyond belief that Steve had both a Little and a Partner.

"No, No I am not." Steve’s exhausted voice came from the doorway, the blond leaning against the wall. "I am happily married to the man I have loved for my entire life and we have the best Little there could be."

"You were supposed to be mine!" Sharon strugged against the tape and zip ties on her wrists, failing as her wrists bled.

"Sharon, you're delusional. I have NEVER expressed interest in you past friendship." Steve spoke firmly, standing next to Bucky. He'd left their Little in the bedroom with the door shut so she wouldn't be disturbed. "JARVIS, please call Agent Coulson."

"Phil speaking." Phil's confused voice answered after a moment, sounding tired.

"Hey, Agent Coulson... We got a situation on mine and Bucky’s floor." Steve spoke calmly, holding Bucky’s hand lightly as he looked at Sharon bleeding on the floor.

"I'll be right up." Agent Coulson responded, all traces of Home Phil being gone. He got up slowly, pulling on some clothes and made his way into the elevator. He wondered to himself what could be happening that they needed him.

Bucky met him at the elevator and led him to the kitchen where he sat through a retelling of what had occurred. He was internally horrified that Sharon was so far gone in her madness.

"I'll take her into custody." Phil patched Sharon's side after calling for transport and then left with the insane blonde neutral.

"What a night..." Bucky huffed after they were settled back into bed with their Little, talking lowly.

"At least she didn't wake up." Steve spoke too soon, the Little shifting and mumbling lowly until her eyes fluttered open. "Diaper change."

Bucky grabbed a diaper and the wipes, doing a quick yet thorough change before the Little could truly wake up and popped a pacifier into her mouth. After two minutes of steady rocking, she was sound asleep again.

"You're getting super good at that." Steve grinned, kissing Bucky lightly and then laying himself back to sleep also. He would be skipping his run tomorrow and doing a quick workout in the gym.

~~~~~~~~

Steve looked concerned, hearing his Little's voice lifted in a wail again. Both of the caregivers were home so she couldn't be missing either of them and she hadn't been naughty and hadn't had any punishments. He got up from his desk and made his way to the living room where the Little had been playing happily in her bouncer up until two minutes ago.

"Hey, Half-Pint." Steve greeted her in an exaggeratedly cheerful voice, unstrapping her and lifting her free. The sudden change had worked in distracting her, hazel eyes looking at him curiously. "Let's go bother Mama while he's cooking, yeah?"

Kayla nodded slowly, holding onto Daddy with one arm and chewing on her fingers on the other hand. She peered around from her perch in Steve’s arms, taking in the scenery as they walked down the hall and into the kitchen.

"Hey, Babe. We came to visit." Steve smiled at Bucky who had been baking banana bread to add to their huge stock pile of other baked goods. He'd made cake, cookies, brownies and zucchini bread so far.

"Hey." Bucky had a smudge of flour on his cheek, hair tied back into a bun. "Was she crying? I thought I heard her."

"She was just a bit lonely is all." Steve had just noticed her biting her fingers and pulled them free. "No, Baby. Don't do that. Ouch." He prodded a pacifier into her mouth.

She whined at him around the pacifier, biting down on the rubber and looking sulky. Her sharp nails scratched his shoulder through his shirt as she gripped tighter to him.

"It's almost snack time. I was thinking zucchini bread for all of us." Bucky smiled, putting the banana bread into the oven.

"Sounds like an excellent plan." Steve set the Little into the highchair and then sat in a chair in front of her. He chuckled at her expression, taking in the sulky look on her face. "Mama is good at this, Baby. Everything smells so good."

"Mm." She spit the pacifier out and it turned into a flying object that smacked into Steve's face with a decent amount of force.

"Ouch!" He clapped a hand over his forehead where he'd been hit. "That was not nice."

Bucky was over by the stove, trying so hard not to laugh as he listened to what was going on behind him. He poured the last of the batter into a pan and popped it in the oven, washing his hands once he was done and started to clean up.

"Bucky, tell her it wasn't funny." Steve whined slightly, pouting because his Little was laughing at him.

"That wasn't funny, Honey." Bucky spoke mildly, filling the dishwasher with the used kitchenware. He filled a sippy cup with juice, hearing Steve cutting the zucchini bread nearby and the babbling of the Little. The domesticity of the situation made him smile, feeling completely content. He had his Little and a wonderful husband.


	33. Who

Her tired eyes peered around, feeling groggy and slightly pained. A high pitched whimper escaped her mouth and alerted the dark haired male in the room that she was awake.

"Shh, Baby Doll. It's okay. Mama is here." Bucky soothed, stroking her cheek gently and then her hair. "Don't worry."

"Who?" Her voice was tight with fear, heart rate elevating as she got more frightened. She couldn't remember anything past her18th birthday. Not this man who called himself Mama or why she was in what looked to be a hospital.

"Honey?" Bucky frowned, cupping her cheek lightly. "It's me. Mama. Bucky."

"I don't know you." She cried out, alarms ringing as her heart rate shot through the roof. A nurse hurried in and sedated her as she grew frenzied, nearly pulling the IVs out.

"She didn't recognize me." Bucky spoke lowly, trying to keep the hurt off his face as Steve came hurrying in. "She didn't know me, Stevie."

"She did hit her head pretty hard." Steve soothed, holding Bucky close and rubbing his back. "Her brain will go Little to help heal. You know that's how it usually works."

"What if she never remembers us?" Bucky clutched Steve, showing his very vulnerable side.

"It's probably temporary." The nurse had overheard. "You'll just have to keep a close eye on her and if it doesn't clear up in a week, come back."

"Thanks. Is there anything else we should do?" Steve questioned and received a list and lecture on what to do.

"Keep her routine. That is very important. You can take her home now if you want, Captain Rogers and Sargent Barnes." The nurse smiled. "Just sign these papers and you're good to go."

"Thank you, Nurse Joan." Steve thanked the woman, signing the papers that he was handed after he read them first.

~At home, the Tower, Stucky Floor~

Bucky carefully diapered the Little and carefully laid her down in their bed, wanting to keep her close. He undressed to his boxers and laid down, bringing her to his chest like he always does when she sleeps in their bed. "Night, Babycakes." He was taking it hard.

"Bucky, Babe. She should sleep in her crib." Steve spoke gently, rubbing Bucky’s shoulder. "To keep her routine. She's going to get used to sleeping in here if we keep her in here with us."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Bucky clutched her tighter to him, making her whine in her sleep.

"James Buchanan Barnes. She needs to sleep in the crib." Steve carefully extracted her and took her to the nursery, tucking her in gently and turning on the Harry Potter mobile that played Hedwig's Theme and had various Magical Beasts on it. He turned on the baby monitor that they had and took one with him to the master bedroom where Bucky waited with the biggest pout ever. "No."

"God, Steve. So mean." Bucky rolled onto his stomach and hid his head under the pillows.

"I'm not mean. I'm following Doctor's Orders." Steve sat on Bucky’s butt, starting a massage to release all the built up tension in Bucky's muscles.

"Love you..." Bucky grumped, unburying his face from the pillows and turned his head.

"Love you too. Let's get some sleep while we can." Steve laid next to Bucky in his briefs, cuddling to his husband and kissing his lips lightly. He tucked Bucky’s head under his chin and held him close, bodies pressed tightly together as they slept.


	34. Us

Bucky waited until Steve was sleeping, sneaking from bed and went into the nursery with a big blanket and laid in the the rocking recliner chair. He felt better being closer to her in case she needed him, laying on his side facing the crib where she laid. The dark haired caregiver drifted off after watching for twenty minutes, content that she was sleeping fine.

The Little rolled in her sleep about an hour later, curled around a stuffed Scooby Doo and the blanket tucked up under her cheek. Her thumb had made its way into her mouth, sucking lightly to soothe her troubled dreams. The dreams were bright and very disjointed, fractures of memories and horror her subconscious came up with.

Soft whimpers and little cries escaped her mouth, waking Bucky from his light sleep and summoning him to her crib. Her diaper made a squishing sound as she moved, legs kicking feebly and her eyes snapped open. Her mouth opened in a wail, tears dripping down her face and skin blotchy.

"Hey, hey. Shh. Shh. Don't cry." Bucky picked her up, ignoring her slightly struggling and taking her to the chair he'd been sleeping in after a quick diaper change. He wrapped them in the blanket, pressing her mostly undressed body to his bare skin and rocking her carefully. He had remembered from the "How To Care For Your Little" book that skin to skin contact worked much like it did with actual children. "Hush now. Mama is here. Nothing can hurt you." He promised.

She still didn't really remember him but she was so tired and frightened and he was so warm and comforting. Her face turned into his chest, finding a nipple and after a few seconds she latched on instinctively as her Little brain took over fully. It was like her Big self went to sleep in a dark part of her brain, letting her Little self be in total control and seek comfort the way she knew best. It seemed like the best course of action, soothing herself on as she nursed from Bucky and going limp.

"There's a good girl." Bucky murmured, Steve watching in the doorway. "Mama had you, Baby Doll. No more tears, okay?" He dried her cheek with a corner of the blanket, watching her face wrinkle before settling back to normal.

"I heard her over the monitor." Steve sat on a little stool, looking at Bucky softly. "I think she had a nightmare."

"My heart just about stopped honestly." Bucky whispered, never taking his eyes off her as she nursed. "I hate not being able to help her. You know? I can fight off an attacker but I can't fight a bad dream."

"Bucky... Everything will be okay. No one will lay their hands on her. It was just a dream. You are doing the best thing for her right now. You are giving her comfort." Steve hissed fiercely, cupping Bucky's cheek. "Keep being the best Mama for her."

"You're right. Sorry. I keep overthinking things." Bucky resumed his steady rocking, watching how her eyes fluttered sleepily. "Sleep, Baby. Daddy and Mama are here."

"Everything's just fine, Half-Pint." Steve added, stroking her cheek while she nursed from Bucky. "Come sleep in the big bed when you're done? And bring her with."

"Sounds like a plan." Bucky nodded, watching Steve leave the nursery. "I missed you so much, Pumpkin. We were so very worried." He watched her fall asleep and brought her to the master bedroom.

He laid her next to Steve and laid on her other side, basically creating a barrier so she wouldn't roll off the bed on either side between him and Steve. She curled up, sniffling in her sleep and buried her face in Steve's chest. Her little body pressed into the blond's warmth, soaking it up like she always does when in their bed.

"Night, Bucky." Steve smiled gently at the other man who kissed him.

"Night, Stevie." Bucky was happy, holding Steve's hand while their baby slept between them.

~Next morning~

Steve woke up to a mouth on his chest, small hands curled against his ribs. He could hear Bucky snoring quietly on the other side of the small body curled against him.

"Mm. Hungry, Half-Pint?" He kept his tone light, shifting the still mostly asleep Little to where she could get his nipple. This too was normal for when she slept in their bed, he did the first nursing session of the day and the first diaper change after. "Doing so well for Daddy this morning."

He got no response as she was still suckling, mouth occupied and her hands tucked against him. It was quiet and peaceful, Bucky’s snores and the soft snuffles of Kayla breathing were the perfect way for his day to begin.

"Ouch. Careful." He carefully pulled her off of his nipple which was red now. She whimpered softly and he sat up, patting her back to release trapped air and switched her to the other side. "Still dry, hm." He'd checked her diaper.

Her hazel eyes locked onto his sea blue ones, one hand reaching toward his face and he pressed his hand to hers. Steve never broke their eye contact, gauging how young she was at the moment and filing it away to tell Bucky.

"Can you say Dada for me, Half-Pint?" Steve urged after she had ceased her suckling. "Da-da."

She just stared at him, not saying anything and just making little noises with her mouth. Clearly not old enough to really verbalize past crying and little noises.

"Ah ha. Tiny little Half-Pint today then." Steve kept up a steady stream of talking to her, smiling the entire time.


	35. Ours

Steve was giving Kayla a bath that first morning after the hospital, washing her hair gently to avoid the bruised area and talking to her. He was telling her about his plans for the day, keeping a smile on his face the whole time and pausing every so often when she would make a noise.

"Is that so?" The blond murmured, rinsing her hair carefully before starting on the conditioner as she started to cry. She never was fond of having her hair washed and it was showing currently. "Oh, Half-Pint. Shh. Let Daddy finish washing your hair."

He went as fast as he could while still being gentle, rinsing her hair and body before picking her up into her favorite hooded towel. He wrapped her up and took her to the nursery to get dressed while she soaked his chest with tears.

"I know, I know. I was very mean and washed your hair." Steve soothed. "Daddy is sorry. Let's get you warm."

~Few days later~

Kayla woke from a nightmare, jolting violently. "Mamaaaaaa!" She screamed for the first time since she got hurt.

Bucky came in quickly, hair sticking up all over and creases on his face from the sheets. "Baby? Hey. Shh." He picked her up, cradling her close.

"Mamamama." She sobbed into his chest, needing to be close to the shaggy haired man. He seated them on the rocking chair, rocking gently while he covered them both with a blanket.

"Mama is right here. See?" He was internally singing with joy at her calling for  _ **him**_ by title rather than just screaming. "Your birthday is coming up. It's July, did you know? July 31st will be here before you know it. It's kind of funny that Harry Potter is your favorite book series and you share a birthday with the author and the character."

Her cries had ceased as he talked, soothed by the sound of his low voice and curling into him. Her cheek pressed into the overly warm flesh of his chest, warming herself on him and focusing on how his pale blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark.

"Ma." She mumbled, grasping a handful of his hair that really needed to be cut because it was brushing past his shoulders. The clouded confusion that had been in her eyes had gone away over the past few days, leaving clarity that she knew who Mama and Daddy were.

"Yes, Doll?" He dipped his head lower, feeling her tighten her hold on his hair. It was something she often did in that half-asleep state after crying during the night. He didn't get an answer, just tired cooing as she nuzzled into him more. "Tired? Me too. Let's go sleep with Daddy."

He rose to his feet and carried her to the master bedroom after a diaper change, having untangled her fingers from his hair much to her displeasure. She was set between them again, which would not please Steve who was still insistent she sleep in her nursery. Of course, the blond was unaware that Bucky was awake most mornings when Steve would cuddle her and tell her how much easier it was for first feed and diaper change in the morning with her in their bed.

"Bucky, No." Steve mumbled, feeling the small body settled against his. "She needs to sleep in the crib."

"Stevie, she had a nightmare. Look at that face. She needs her strong Daddy to protect her." Bucky pleaded, appealing to Steve’s masculine pride and weakness to her post-cry face. Steve opened his eyes and saw her red cheeks and still watery eyes looking at him pitifully.

"Fine. C'mere, Half-Pint." Steve rolled onto his side and tucked her close to him, pulling the blanket up so she wouldn't get cold. "This is the last time."

"Last time." Bucky echoed, knowing Steve would give in every time when it came to their sad and lonely Little. He snuggled close to them and fell asleep quickly.

He dreamt of how she had gotten hurt, the sheer panic and terror along with the shooting pain coming from his mark on his shoulder. Her shrill screaming cries that had filled the floor and echoed, scaring them senseless.

Steve woke up to soft whimpers, thinking that it was the Little but it was his husband which worried him. "Bucky, Babe. Babe, it's a dream." He stroked Bucky’s hair, leaning over carefully.

His low, coaxing tone soon woke Bucky who grabbed the Little in a death hug and rocked them back and forth. Steve scooted closer and wrapped an arm around Bucky, stroking his hair again with his other hand. The former assassin slowly calmed, panic leaving his eyes and concern replacing it as his frantic rocking slowed to a slow pace.

"See? She's okay. She's right here." Steve kept his tone light, kissing Bucky’s head and feeling how the other man sagged into him with relief.

"Mama?" His precious girl had been quiet up until this point, all but crushed to his chest and he loosened his hold enough to shift her to a more comfortable position.

"Sorry, Baby. Didn't mean to squish you." His voice was hoarse. "It just seemed so real. Especially after her screaming earlier from her nightmare."

"I know. God. I know, Bucky. But she's okay. See? She's just fine now because we were there. She remembers that you are Mama and I am Dada." Steve squeezed Bucky to his side, knowing neither of them would be sleeping much more that night. "The nightmares are normal for babies after a traumatic event. Give it time. And hopefully yours will settle too."

"God, I hope so. I hate that feeling." Bucky wiped his face then guided the Little's hand into his hair as something to ground himself, the light tugging keeping his mind on the present. "Thank you... For putting up with me."

"I don't put up with you. I do this because this is what you do for the ones you love." Steve kissed Bucky's lips, careful to not dislodge Kayla's hand from his husband's hair. "Everyone of us in this tower have nightmares and issues. It doesn't make anything different for me. You're still Bucky. The man I've been in love with since I was old enough to know what love is."

"Stevie." Bucky was looking at him with a soft expression, feeling reassured.


	36. Mine

"Daddy... I can feel you staring." Kayla was Big currently, reading a book on a pile of cushions on the floor. She hadn't even turned around yet knew he was there. "Bit odd, don't you think?"

"I'm not staring." Steve seated himself on a nearby chair, needing to be close to his Little. He couldn't explain the deep unsettled feeling he had but it was amping up his instincts to protect his Little despite no danger being present.

"Okay, Daddy Steve." She picked her book up and moved to curl up in his lap to read, resting her cheek against his chest as she read the book. Her caregivers laps were the two best places to cuddle, read or nap as they both were very warm and always willing to hold her.

The feeling in Steve's chest eased off a bit at having her safe in his lap, wrapping his arms around the brunette. He pressed his lips to the crown of her head, thumb rubbing her arm lightly. "Love you, Half-Pint."

"Love you too, Daddy." She smiled distractedly, caught up in her book as Harry dove to catch the Snitch. Kayla registered Steve singing lowly, pressing her ear more firmly to his chest to hear.

The blond caregiver's lips curved into a smile and he continued his little song, feeling how she melted into him. His long fingers carded through her hair, gently removing any tangles that may have occurred over the last two hours. Her book dropped into her lap as she fell asleep, clutching his shirt in her hand. His heart nearly stopped when he heard the sound of her breath rasping through her throat and the choking sound she made as the dreadful feeling came back.

"Baby?!" He shifted her to be able to properly assess if she's choking on an object. He found nothing and the choking subsided after a moment, her eyes fluttering open as he shook her carefully. "Baby!"

"Daddy?" She looked at him in confusion, unsure of why he was freaking out and getting a bit upset as his emotions filtered through to her. "Daddy, what's wrong?"

"You scared me! You were choking in your sleep!" Steve clutched her tighter, rocking them back and forth. He was in full panic mode even when she tried to reassure him that she was just fine.

"Stevie, what's going on?" Bucky had been training with Clint and just returned.

"Daddy's freaking out." Kayla was squirming against Steve's too tight hold.

"Steve. You're gonna hurt her. Let go." Bucky spoke firmly, walking over and standing in front of them. "She's okay. You're scaring her by panicking."

Steve let go even though it pained him, allowing Bucky to take the Little. His eyes focused on them, watching Bucky check the girl over to ensure she's okay.

"See? She's just fine. Don't worry." Bucky soothed, sitting next to Steve with Kayla in his lap. "She probably inhaled some spit is all."

"Sorry. I just... I don't want anything to happen." Steve apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "I have this feeling that something will happen."

"Well, we're both here. She's protected." Bucky spoke calmly, patting Steve's upper arm. "We'll fix anything that does happen and we have a great team who will help us."

"You're right." Steve nodded. "Can I have her back?"

"You wanna go back by Daddy, Munchkin?" Bucky addressed the silent Little who nodded and crawled into Steve's lap.

"Love you, Daddy. I trust you to protect me." Kayla spoke solemnly, holding his face between her palms like he does when he's speaking seriously to Little Kayla.

"Thank you." Steve relaxed slightly, resting one hand over hers on his face and returning the smile she gave him. "Love my Half-Pint too."

"You're a great Daddy." She kissed his cheek and then cuddled back up into him, sighing happily. "Mama's pretty great too except when he makes me eat that nasty vegetable puree that has the broccoli in it."

"Hey. Daddy's the one who makes the purees. I just feed them to you." Bucky laughed.

"Daddy... Broccoli is just no. Just give up on it. I'll never like it no matter what you pair it with." Kayla poked Steve's cheeks.

"Still gonna try, Baby." Steve chuckled. "There are benefits to eating broccoli and I want you to be healthy."

"Mama, Daddy's trying to kill my tastebuds." Kayla appealed to Bucky who looked amused.

"Nope. Not getting involved there." The brunet caretaker shook his head, laughing loudly.

~Two hours later~

Kayla was kneeling on the counter, grabbing a cup down when she felt the urge to sneeze. "Oh god. Not now."

Her entire rocked with the violent sneeze and she tumbled backwards off the cupboard, smacking her head on the nearby island. She screamed shrilly, mind going to that scary place that was halfway between headspaces as footsteps raced down the hallway to the kitchen.

"Baby?! Kayla!" Bucky reached her first, shoulder on fire as his caregiver mark flared.

"What happened?!" Steve was panicking again, dropping down next to them and flinching as he got even closer. "I knew something was going to happen!"

"Little Miss fell off the counter." JARVIS informed them. "She was attempting to get a cup."

"Fuck." Steve swore, swooping her up and taking her off to the elevator. "Medbay."

"Coming!" Bucky ran after Steve and got in quickly, the elevator plunging down to their destination.

One of the nurses that was always there took one look and led them to a private room, informing a passing doctor on duty to come too. They did the necessary tests and went to discuss, telling Steve and Bucky that they'd soon return.


	37. No

Steve laid on the floor, stretched on his back with his Little laying on him. This was his version of tummy time plus bonding time, both of them shirtless. He rubbed a gentle hand over her back, checking to make sure she wasn't chilled.

"Look at you, Half-Pint." Steve smiled as she lifted her head up from where it had been resting over his heart. "Mama will be home soon, Baby. You excited?"

"Ma?" Kayla called, peering around as best she could before dropping her head back down on him. He grunted slightly, catching his breath after the slightly impact.

"I'm home, guys." Bucky came out of the elevator once the doors had opened.

"MA!" The Little wriggled on Steve, reaching a hand to Bucky.

"Hold on, Half-Pint." Steve sat up carefully, holding her head and sliding an arm under her bottom as he stood up. "Someone has missed you. But only a little crying this time."

"Nuh!" Kayla whacked her head into Steve's shoulder on purpose.

"Baby, stop. That hurts you." Steve scolded her, pressing her head to his shoulder gently.

"No no!" She shrieked, struggling in his arms as Bucky approached.

"C'mere, Baby Doll." Bucky took her gently, cradling her close. "What's got you all fussy now? You were just fine a minute ago."

She just stared at him, sucking on the inside of her mouth. Her nails scratched his chest through his shirt, hands gripping onto him tightly.

"Silly baby." Bucky kissed her forehead and sat on the couch next to Steve. "Glad it went okay."

~Two hours later~

Kayla was pushing things off the coffee table, sulking because she had been left alone while the caregivers were cooking. A large book made a particularly loud thud as it fell, attracting Bucky to the doorway.

"Hey now, Little Miss. Not okay." Bucky scolded. "Stop that."

"No." She was about two at the moment, glaring at Bucky and pushing another book off.

"Yes. Or you'll get a spanking and a time out." Bucky warned.

"What's happening on?" Steve questioned.

"No!" The brunette Little shoved a whole stack of books off, locking eyes with Bucky.

"Kayla McKenzie!" Bucky stalked over and stood her up, landing a swat to her butt. "Steve?"

"Yeah, I'll take care of it." Steve came over, taking the Little to the couch and sitting down with her across his legs. He pulled the back of her shorts down and smacked her bottom ten times. "You can't be doing that, baby. That was naughty. What are you going to say to Mama when he comes back in?"

"S-sorry!" She bawled, clutching Steve's pant leg in her hands. The Little was set upright in Steve's lap, sore bottom carefully in the air between his legs.

"Buck, she's ready." Steve called and the dark haired man returned to the room.

"Sorry, Mama!" Kayla sobbed, reaching for the other caregiver. Bucky took her carefully, holding her gently.

"You cannot be doing that, okay? Why did you make a mess?" Bucky asked.

"Lone!" Kayla buried her face in Bucky's shoulder, clinging tightly.

"If you were lonely, you should've come by us or called for us, Baby Doll." Bucky patted her back gently. "But now you know for next time. But right now, you're gonna help Daddy pick up the books while I make dinner."

"Otay." She sniffled, feeling Steve take her back again. They watched Bucky go back in the kitchen and then seet about picking up all the books she had knocked down.

~Bed time~

Bucky was feeding the Little, keeping eye contact while she nursed from him. This was his favorite part of the day, when she was sleepy and cuddly. He rocked the chair with one foot, keeping a steady motion to help lull her to sleep and then tucked her into bed once those pretty hazel eyes finally stayed shut.

"Why is she saying no so much?" Steve asked once Bucky came out of the room.

"It's a child thing. She was about two this afternoon with the book thing and that's the age where they say no a lot." Bucky explained, hugging Steve close and kissing him softly. His lips were soft and smooth, no longer chapped like they used to be.


	38. Her

Bucky was tossing and turning, feeling like he was being watched. He sat up and groaned lowly, peering through the darkness and nearly had a heart attack when he noticed a dark shape on the floor. "Jesus fuck!"

The shape moved and then tipped over, a familiar whine emerging from it. Bucky calmed down and got up, moving to his now identified Little. He crouched down and sat her up, attempting to gauge how old she was currently.

"Hey, Baby." He murmured to the sniffling Little. "C'mere, Honey. It's not time to be awake yet."  
Bucky carefully lifted her, subtly checking her diaper and finding it wet.

He laid her down on the bed and plugged his salt lamp in, a dim glow lighting up the surrounding area. The former assassin's hand undid the tabs on her diaper, smiling at her sleepy coo. He grabbed the handy wipes and a diaper, changing her efficiently.

"Tiny girl, huh?" Bucky listened to her gurgling quietly as Steve slept nearby. He swaddled her in a blanket and laid her in the middle of the large bed before laying next to her. "Sleep, Baby Doll."

The brunet caregiver watched over her as she sucked on the pacifier he had put in her mouth. Her eyes fluttered shut and her breathing switched from little pants to slow huffs. Hopefully she would sleep through the night.

~Early the next morning~

Steve woke to the sound of soft whines close by. His blue eyes opened slowly, squinting at the dark lump and then pulled his Little closer to him. "Hey hey. Shh. Did you get Mama to bring you in here, hm?"

He got no response except a louder whine as she saw him. The blond unwrapped her carefully and checked her diaper before changing the sodden material. His sleep shirt got thrown on the floor for now, revealing milk filled tissue to the Little's eyes.

"Did my Half-Pint have a bad dream and that's why you're so tiny today?" Steve murmured, bringing her to his chest and letting her latch on to his nipple. "Daddy can't fight bad dreams, Baby. But I'll keep you safe from everything else. Me and Mama. We love you so much." He was always sappy with his Little when she was tiny.

She snuffled against him, taking in the soothing scent of her caregiver as she nursed. Her arms were pressed to her chest and her legs against his lower stomach. The brunette was safely cocooned in Steve's strong arms, cradled protectively to him.

"Stevie?" Bucky lifted his head tiredly, squinting at Steve who chuckled at how messy Bucky's hair was.

"Half-Pint was thirsty." Steve explained in amusement, taking in his lover's sleep mussed appearance.

"Oh." Bucky flopped down again. "I dunno how she got in here. I woke up and she was sitting on the floor."

"Hm." Steve hummed, settling the Little more against him. "We'll figure it out later."

"Okay. I'm gonna sleep now." Bucky closed his eyes now, cuddling a pillow and was swiftly sleeping again.

"Silly." Steve spoke affectionately, stroking Bucky's hair gently for a moment before rising to his feet with the Little in his arms. He made his way into the bathroom, setting her in a portable baby Little swing. "I'm going to shower, Half-Pint. You can see me."

He pointed the the clear glass doors of the walk in shower. The caregiver positioned the swing so she could see in and then stripped his pajama pants off, leaving him bare before getting into the shower. He washed quickly, using his military efficiency and getting everything clean in the shortest time possible.

He was in and out in less than ten minutes, wrapping a towel around his hips and smiling at the unbothered Little. He dried off carefully and carried her back to the bedroom, laying her down before getting his underwear on and a pair of sweatpants. He ignored his shirts for now, knowing he'd just get messy while feeding the Little and she was easier to soothe if he was shirtless.

The happy blond buckled his Little into the highchair to her discontentment which manifested in angry baby babbling. Her legs kicked fiercely as she reached out to him.

"Hey now. You can sit in there for twenty minutes. Gotta make your good food." Steve chuckled. "None of that. You're just fine."

Kayla slapped the tray, huffing angrily at being trapped in the chair. She wanted out. Not even her favorite yogurt puffs could appease her, made evident by the huge scowl on her face.

"Oh, that's quite the look." Steve snickered, making oatmeal and chopping fruit to mash up. "Giving your mama's crab face a run for its money."

"Or your Daddy's 'I'm an idiot but don't wanna admit it' face." Bucky's unamused voice scared Steve who dropped his knife.

"Bucky?!" Steve whirled around, clutching his chest. "I didn't see you there."

"Mm." Bucky raised an eyebrow, walking further into the room and stopping in front of the Little. "Hey, Baby Doll."

The grumpy brunette Little reached out to Bucky, who unstrapped her and removed the tray. He lifted her free of the annoying highchair and set her in his lap.

"Oh, come on. That's why she won't stay in there." Steve groaned.

"It makes her unhappy. Besides, I like feeding her in my lap." Bucky took the bowl from Steve and started feeding the Little who was mean eyeing Steve at the moment. The morning passed quietly with no other disagreements.


	39. Them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter is set in September.

"What the fuck?" Bucky stopped short as the elevator doors opened and himself, Steve, Howard, and Tony stepped out.

"Language! Cap! He said a bad word!" Tony yelled through the apartment.

"I'm never going to live that down." Steve's exhausted voice came from the kitchen. "What the hell?"

"Capsicles! That was a bad word! You're gonna teach my niece bad things!" Tony scolded. "Speaking of. Where is my favorite Little Niece?"

"Incoming." Bucky automatically stepped to the side as the sound of wheels on hardwood flooring was heard.

Tony didn't move in time and was hit in the upper thigh and in the shin by hard plastic. He yelped, clutching his leg and moaned in pain.

"Unc Ney!" Kayla squealed, bouncing up and down in the walker.

"Hey, Princess." Tony croaked out, rubbing his leg before lifting her free. "Where are your pants, huh?"

"She didn't want to wear them." Bucky shrugged, ignoring the look his husband gave him. "Let's... Sit down and Tony can explain."

"Rude." Tony stuck his tongue out, settling Kayla on his hip and walking into the living room.

"You found her." Past Steve breathed, staring at the Little who waved curiously at him.

"Bucky found her." Steve corrected gently and settled into the loveseat with his Bucky. "In about January."

"Unc Ney." Kayla whispered, tugging on his beard.

"No, no. Ow." Tony corrected her carefully, removing her hands from his facial hair.

"She loves her Uncle Tony if you can't tell. Always gets excited to see him. Sometimes more than us." Bucky sighed dramatically.

"What can I say? Everyone loves me." Tony smirked.

"No." The Little frowned, squirming from Tony's lap and made her way to her favorite soft rug.

"Ouch. Rejected by the Little." Past Bucky choked while laughing, clutching his sides.

"So, you're my son." Howard stared at Tony curiously.

"Unfortunately. Your best creation as you put it. Guess that means I beat ole Cap here." Tony drawled, examining his Stark Watch. "Always thought you had the hots for Stevie Boy though. Sure talked about him enough."

"Ew." The brunette girl whispered, wrinkling her nose. She was between headspaces right now but close to dropping again.

"Yeah, that is kind of gross." Daddy Steve looked highly uncomfortable, twisting his wedding ring around. "Anyone want something to drink?"

"Me but nothing you keep here. So I'll just go find my husband to harass." Tony stood up.

"No." The Little scowled at Tony, holding out her favorite toy. "Unc Ney."

"Oh now you like me, you little monster." Tony grinned, kneeling next to her and examining the Iron Man action Figure. "I should get you one of Iron Patriot too. So Uncle Rhodey isn't left out."

"Unc Dey?" Kayla peered around, looking for the nice guy she had met a few times when he came to visit Tony.

"He's not here, Princess. But he should show up around Thanksgiving." Tony explained, kissing her forehead. "C'mon, Howard. I'll show you my workshop." He dragged his father into the elevator.

"I'm gonna get a bottle of juice for her." Steve rushed to the kitchen.

"This is so fuckin bizarre." Past Bucky swore.

"Hey, watch your mouth. My Little's in here." Bucky scolded as his Little pushed herself to her feet and wobbled her way over to him. "Hey, Baby Doll."

"Ma." She mumbled in discontent, clambering into his lap and curling up.

"Ma." Past Steve wheezed with laughter.

"Shut it, Punk." Past Bucky scolded, punching Past Steve in the arm.

"No!" The Little's eyes narrowed at Past Bucky, giving the absolute stink eye with a look reminiscent of Bucky's when he scolds Steve for doing stupid stuff.

"She told you." Bucky smirked at his past self, attempting not to break down into tears of amusement. "I rock at being Mama. Even got a shirt and mug that says so."

"I have a mug that says best Daddy." Steve returned, setting bottles of root beer on the coffee table while holding a bottle of juice. "Father's day is a thing. And mother's day."

"We got to celebrate them. And this year, we get to celebrate the other holidays we missed with her." Bucky shifted the Little, taking the bottle from Steve and attempting to poke it in Kayla's mouth. "I know you like this juice, kid. You only rave about it when Big. Freakin Pineapple Apple Orange juice."

"What even?" Past Bucky raised an eyebrow, watching Past Steve cautiously sipping the soda. "What happened to just Orange juice or apple juice?"

"You wouldn't believe how many options of EVERYTHING there is nowadays." Steve smiled, brushing his fingers through his Little's hair. "It's almost dizzying to see the choices."

"Really, you monster? You want that now?" Bucky's amused tone summoned their attention onto him and the Little. The girl had her head under Bucky's shirt, covered almost completely even as she nursed on his nipple. "Couldn't drink the juice YOU wanted, no. Had to have milk even though it's not milk time."

"Coping mechanism? I mean, seeing other people who look almost identical probably threw her off." Steve focused on his husband.

"I ain't a producer though." Past Bucky looked confused.

"There are medications for it. Steve's a producer." Bucky looked at his amazing husband and smiled. "Easier to have both of us producing either way."

"Especially when we have to go on missions. She hates formula and frankly, I don't blame her. It smells nasty." Steve leaned his head on Bucky's shoulder and guided the Little's legs to stretch across his lap. "Honestly, I wouldn't change anything. Even if it took a long time to find her."

"The dreams helped? Because they don't make sense to me." Past Steve was puzzled.

"Yeah. You need a modern frame of reference to understand them now. That's why they didn't make sense." Steve explained to his past self while Past Bucky listened. Their conversation was interrupted by the Avengers alarm going off.


	40. Theirs

"Yeah. You need a modern frame of reference to understand them now. That's why they didn't make sense." Steve explained to his past self while Past Bucky listened. Their conversation was interrupted by the Avengers alarm going off.

"What is that?" Past Steve sounded alarmed, looking around and scanning for danger.

"Avengers Alarm." Steve frowned. "JARVIS, who is being called?"

"Both Sargent Barnes and yourself are needed. It is a full team call." JARVIS told them.

"Fuck." Bucky swore, carefully detaching their Little from his chest. "I know, Sugar. You weren't done yet."

"Can you keep an eye on her?" Steve was rushing around, grabbing things. "Try to get her to drink something and there's snacks in the kitchen if you want to try to feed her those. Dunno how long this will last."

"Yeah." Past Bucky nodded and grunted as the Little was set in his lap. They watched the two super-soldiers rush out, looked at each other and then at the disgruntled Little. "Hey there, Baby Doll."

"No." The light brunette haired Little grumbled, lip jutting out in a huge pout.

"C'mere, Baby." Past Steve moved the girl into his lap. "I bet you're confused. We look just like them. Well mostly."

"Mm." She grunted, scowling at Past Steve. They mostly looked like her Caregivers but their scents were off. Littles could always identify their caregivers by their natural scent. The past Steve and Bucky's scents were similar yet different enough to make her uneasy.

"Oh god, she's scared of us." Past Steve was slightly overdramatic.

"More like grumpy and annoyed." Past Bucky poked the Little's belly. "See if she'll eat something."

The Little squirmed free and stood up, making her way to the loveseat. "I'm big now."

"Oh. Well... Nice ta meet ya, Doll." Past Bucky smiled at her.

"Yeah, nice to meet you." Past Steve added.

"This is still super weird... What's next? You before the serum?" Kayla joked. "I'd definitely freak out even more." She was rambling.

"You want a snack?" Past Bucky got up, heading towards the kitchen.

"Yes. Daddy Steve always has fruit in the fridge. I like strawberries and plums." She was bouncing on the loveseat.

"Daddy Steve." Past Steve looked so pleased, leaning forward.

"Yeah... Daddy, Dada, Da depending on how Little I am. Bucky is usually some variation of Mom/Mama. Mama, Mommy, Ma, Mom." Kayla explained, linking her fingers together. "Has been since the first day."

"Are you happy with us?" Past Steve looked anxious now.

"Oh definitely. If I wasn't happy, I wouldn't stay. You guys treat me like an actual princess and you're both so amazing. This is the happiest I've ever been in my whole life." The Little exclaimed, gesturing in her enthusiasm. "I love you both so much and sometimes I feel like I'll spontaneously combust because the love is so much. You're my world." She finished with a sniffle.

"Oh, Baby." Past Steve moved cautiously to sit next to her, internally pleased when she curled into his side. He knew without a doubt that the 2018 Steve and Bucky both felt the same way about her, had seen the love in their eyes and words. He loved her already and he had just met her.

"Doll, you still want your fruit?" Past Bucky's Brooklyn accented voice spoke unusually gently as he made his way in with a bowl of fruit.

"Mhm. Pease." Her voice was muffled, her face buried in Past Steve's side.

"You gotta stop hiding, Baby Doll. Can't eat if your mouth is covered." P. Bucky teased gently, sitting on the edge of the coffee table.

"Tables are for glasses not.... Asses." Kayla whispered the last word, quoting BatDad.

"Yeah, Buck. Tables are for glasses, not asses." P. Steve scolded playfully as his Bucky slid to sit on the foot stool with an overdramatic sigh.

"Fruit, please." Kayla held her hand out and Bucky gave her the bowl. "Thank you."

"Of course, Sugar." Bucky smiled at the Little. She methodically ate all the plums first, followed by the grapes that Bucky had added in to add more variety and finally the strawberries. Her fingers and face were sticky, unused to feeding herself after a long stretch of being Little. "Be right back."

Bucky disappeared with the bowl into the kitchen and returned with a wet wash cloth. He knelt down in front of her and carefully wiped her face and hands clean of the fruit juice.

"There. All clean." Steve squeezed the light brunette carefully, smiling at her. He blinked as she crawled into his lap, tucking herself against him as his arms came up to hold her.

Her small hands held to his shirt, Steve having taken off his jacket in the beginning of the visit. He carefully adjusted them, resting his arm on the armrest as Bucky sat next to them. She closed her eyes, stretching her legs across Bucky's lap.

Bucky settled in, resting his head against Steve's shoulder and letting himself fall asleep. They were safe, warm and the Little that was destined to be theirs was in their hold.

~Late at night~

Bucky and Steve slipped in, looking exhausted and still grimy despite the use of the showers on the helicarrier. Steve went ahead to the master bedroom, deciding a shower was in order before touching anything. Bucky however went into the living room and stopped short at what he saw.

A grin crossed his face, taking away the somber expression from before. He hurriedly asked JARVIS to take photos and send them to his phone. The past versions of him and Steve were cuddling the Little, sprawled on the big couch now with it reclined.

"Where's baby?" Steve came in but was shushed by his Bucky.

"Shh. We gotta take her carefully." Bucky crept over, smiling when their girl woke up slightly. "Hey, baby doll."

"Ma." She mumbled, squirming slightly as Bucky carefully extracted her. Her discomforted whine quieted as he walked, her ear over his heart. The steady beating of his heartbeat lulled her into a mostly asleep state that didn't break as she was changed by Bucky.

"Just for tonight. Now go shower." Steve took their Little to lay down as Bucky went to shower away the stress and grime.


	41. They

Steve sipped a glass of water after his morning run, chest full and aching. "Morning."

"Morning." Past Steve seemed awkward, fidgeting with his cuff.

"Want breakfast? I can make you something." Steve offered.

"No thank you. I'll wait until my Bucky gets up." Past Steve shook his head but accepted a glass of water.

"I'll lend you some clothes and see if Clint will sacrifice a pair of jeans and a shirt for Bucky. Cause my Bucky's clothes are gonna be too big." Steve hummed.

"Thank you." Past Steve rubbed his face lightly, looking at who he's become and aching to feel that happiness.

"Yeah." Steve rested his hand on his past self's shoulder and then left the room to go care for his Little. He walked into the master bedroom where he'd left her with his Bucky, seeing her cuddling his pillow. "Good morning, Baby."

"Dada." She reached out for him, letting go of the pillow.

"C'mere, Half-Pint." He sat down, tossing his sweaty shirt onto the end of the big bed. She crawled into his lap and attached to his nipple, looking up at him trustingly. "What do you think of us from the past? Do you like who we were?"

She didn't answer, just touched his cheek and drank the milk. Her eyes were drooping and she looked well on her way to falling back to sleep. Steve smiled, kissing her forehead and rubbing her hip.

Bucky slowly moved closer, draping himself on Steve's back and reaching a hand down to stroke the Little's soft hair. "G'morning, Stevie. Morning, Baby Doll."

Her face scrunched slightly, swallowing more milk and then detaching from the drained side. "Mama."

"Did you sleep well?" Bucky's voice was very tender, openly showing his affection for the Little.

"Mm." She hummed, nosing at Steve's warm skin happily. Steve carefully turned her to the other side, watching her latch on quickly.

"At least you got an answer to your question." Steve joked, tilting his head and kissing Bucky deeply. The stress from yesterday melted away, leaving just contentment and enjoyment.

"You asking our girl questions?" Bucky laughed. "She's a baby, Stevie. She doesn't understand things like Big Kayla does."

"I know." Steve pouted, sucking at Bucky's sharp jawline and leaving a purple mark.

"Not while the baby's in the room." Bucky laughed again, pecking Steve's lips and then went in the bathroom to do bathroom stuff.

"Cap!" Tony's familiar voice called for him. Steve just groaned and looked at Kayla.

"Your Uncle is a dick." Steve stated dryly. "I was enjoying our morning."

"Unc Ney?" She looked around, eyes settling back on Steve's and grinning at her Daddy.

"Yes, Uncle Ney." Steve nodded. "Diaper change and some clothes before we go see him though."

Kayla huffed, being moved from her comfortable spot in Steve's lap and being changed. Steve simply put one of his sweaters on her, rolling the sleeves and leaving her pantless as she'd get them off sooner or later.

"Go get him!" Steve opened the door and watched her run off, the Little staggering like a drunk midget.

He watched Tony scoop her up, holding her tightly. Steve turned and went back in the bedroom, going to take a shower as Bucky was getting out.

"Your Daddy sent you as a distraction, Princess?" Tony looked amused, cradling the Little who was excitedly squealing his name. He sat down on the couch and looked at the other three men. "What?"

"Nothing. You're just good with her." Howard shrugged.

"I love her. She's my niece after all." Tony raised an eyebrow. "Now, from what I found out mast night. You guys were pulled forward by me playing with a piece of alien technology. Which solves the why are you here. But not the how will you get back."

"You started without us." Bucky pouted, sitting near Tony.

"Well your husband set your Little on me." Tony pointed out.

"Fair enough." Bucky conceded. "Continue please."

"Anyways, I'm working with a friend on how to get you back where you belong." Tony continued and sat back.

 


	42. Tribes

It had been a week since the past versions of Bucky and Steve showed up alongside Howard. Things were going as well as it could with two sets of caregivers for the same Little and the parent of a billionaire genius. It made parenting a bit harder for the caregivers.

"Bucky, no. Don't let her do that." 2018 Steve sighed, seeing past Bucky letting the Little crawl on the coffee table. "C'mere, Half-Pint."

"Noooo!" She whined, pushing against his chest as she was scooped up. "No!"

"Nope, it's lunch time." Steve carried her to the kitchen and buckled her in the highchair. "And then it's time to wake Mama up."

"Mama?" She peered around, sulking when her Mama didn't magically appear.

"I thought you said I couldn't get sick now?" Past Bucky leaned in the doorway, observing Steve and smiling slightly at the Little who waved at him.

"You can't really. He's just sleeping late. Where's Stevie?" Steve had started referring to his past self as Stevie.

"Running with your friend Sam." Past Bucky answered. "You may wanna feed her. She looks a bit angry."

"Sorry, Half-Pint." Steve apologized, feeding her a sandwich in pieces. She inhaled one and he frowned, holding his hand below her mouth as she coughed it out. "Poor Baby. All better now."

She just looked at him with watery eyes until he took her from the highchair. The Little curled in his lap, burrowing her face into his neck and refusing to eat anymore of the sandwich.

"Oh, Baby... Daddy is sorry. I thought you were bigger. That's why I made you a sandwich." Steve apologized again, rocking her back and forth.

"I got it." Past Bucky whipped up some oatmeal and set the bowl on the table in front of them.

"Thank you." Steve smiled and carefully fed his Little this time, keeping a close eye on her.

"I'm gonna check on other me." Past Bucky went off to the Master bedroom and stuck his head in, seeing the other man sound asleep. He returned to the kitchen. "He's dead to the world. Like completely out."

"Alright." Steve then stared as Tony burst into the kitchen and shot Past Bucky with a laser. When the smoke cleared, Past Bucky was gone.

Kayla broke the silence by starting to cry, startled by the sudden entrance of her uncle and subsequent disappearance of her Mama's lookalike. Her eyes squeezed shut and she buried her face back into Steve's shoulder, clinging to Daddy to keep him from vanishing too.

"Dammit, Tony! You scared my Baby!" Steve glared, tightening his hold on the Little.

"Sorry, Princess." Tony came over. "I brought you a present though."

He carefully gave her a War Machine action figure to go with her Iron Man one. He then turned and left, heading to the lab to shoot Howard and then wait for Past Steve.

"You're okay, Sweetheart. Daddy's here." Steve crooned, rocking her in his arms. He set her bowl in the dushwasher with the other dishes and turned it on.

The super-soldier turned and just stared as a woman with long brunette hair and pale blue eyes came in. She was completely bare on her upper half and her metal arm moving flawlessly. "Hey, Stevie. Hey, Baby Doll."

"What the hell?" Steve clutched his Little tighter, turning protectively to shield her.

"What?" Bucky blinked in confusion. She hadn't really noticed the change yet, having been more than half asleep. "What happened to my voice?"

"Look in a mirror." Was all Steve said, gaping at his now wife. Bucky ran into the bathroom and screamed, clutching her new breasts in horror.

"What the fuck happened?!" Bucky panicked, whirling around to face Steve.

"I have no clue." Steve watched their Little peek at Bucky and then she recoiled.

"Baby girl." Bucky automatically reached for the Little and frowned as the girl pressed away. "Sweets, it's Mama."

"Mama?" Kayla looked at Bucky again, seemingly looking for something. Her small body was trembling though and she turned her face away.

"Give her a bit to get used to it." Steve looked apologetic, carefully leaning over to kiss his new wife. "And I'll have Pepper bring you some new clothes."

"I'm kinda pissed off this happened." Bucky pouted, detangling her very long hair with her fingers. "My Little won't even come by me."

The alarm to assemble went off and they stared at each other.  
"She's gonna have to deal with you watching her though." Steve went and set the Little in the playpen.

"Dada!" She cried, reaching for Steve who was hurriedly making his way to the door.

"Be good for Mama. I'll be back." Steve called, leaving in the elevator to the landing pad.

"Baby, shh." Bucky had kidnapped one of Steve's shirts and had on a pair of boxers that had shrunk in the wash. "I know, you're scared. You had a rough morning."

JARVIS had informed her of the morning's events and sent a message with scanned measurements of Bucky to Pepper who would bring by some clothes. Bucky sat close to the playpen, listening to her Baby cry.

"I know, I know." Bucky heard the elevator open twenty minutes later and waved at Pepper over her shoulder. She went and got dressed, returning to even louder sobbing. "Hey, hey. What's wrong?"

"Ou'!" Kayla reached for Bucky, opening and closing her hands. She hated being in the playpen. Bucky scooped her up, thankful she still had her strength. "No!"

The Little screeched when Bucky went to set her on the floor, clinging to the woman and tangling her fingers in the long hair. Her baby brain had recognized Bucky's scent after her panic and she recognized her as her Mama.

"Okay, I won't put you down." Bucky went and sat on the couch, feeling how the girl curled into her. "Mama's got you, Baby Doll."

Bucky scowled slightly, pulling at the bra she was wearing and finally using one hand to unsnap it. She carefully took it off and threw it in the direction of the armchair. It was uncomfortable and she was absolutely NOT going to wear it.

Bucky's eyes widened at the damp circles on her shirt, realizing that yes she was still a producer. She tugged her shirt off and just sat bare breasted, figuring it was better than completely soaking her shirt. Her Little took the opportunity to latch on, hazel eyes locked with pale blue.

"How you always know when it's milk time, the world may never know." Bucky teased gently, stroking her hair and shifting the Little in her hold. "After milk time, it's nap time."

The smaller brunette whined around the nipple in her mouth, looking very sleepy even as she did. Her fingers still had a grip in Bucky's silky hair, using it as a comfort thing as she slowly fell asleep.

"Just a minute." Bucky muttered to herself, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. She too was soon fast asleep after tugging a blanket over the two of them.

 


	43. Titles

Steve stopped short, smiling at the sight of his wife and Little cuddling. He wiped his sweaty face and then headed to the bathroom for a shower. He returned about twenty minutes later, taking a quick photo and saving it.

"Delete it or I'll castrate you." Bucky warned without opening her eyes, squeezing their Little lightly to soothe the girl.

"Aw, Buck." Steve pouted, looking at her. "I think you and our Baby are adorable."

"No, Steve." Bucky opened her eyes slightly, shooting Steve with a dirty look. "Take her so I can go pee."

"C'mere, Half-Pint." Steve carefully picked the Little up once Bucky had detangled the Little's fingers from her hair. Kayla whined lowly, unhappy about being moved from her Mama's comfy lap.

He swayed slightly, feeling how the Little settled back to sleep. The blond could feel a tugging at his shirt, glancing over and seeing her chewing on the fabric. Steve sighed and pulled his shirt free, pushing his knuckle into her mouth before she could wake until he could ask Bucky for a pacifier.

For a moment he let himself picture his mother meeting his Little. Sarah would have loved her just as much as he did. Steve sat down, shifting her carefully and kept his finger in her mouth.

Steve closed his eyes, picturing how their meeting would have gone and smiled. Sarah would have fussed over the Little and spent a lot of time cuddling with her. His mother's pale blonde hair that was the same shade as his own and her dark blue eyes glowed in his memories, reminding him of nights she had stayed up to care for him while he was ill.

"Dada." A quiet whimper broke his thoughts, causing his eyes to open and focus on his Little. Her big eyes were open and looking at him with tears in them.

"Are you wet, Half-Pint?" Steve reached a hand down and squished the diaper to check, finding that she was wet. "Let's go change you."

He rose to his feet, shifting her and taking her to the nursery. The caregiver laid her down on the changing table, taking the wet diaper off and cleaning her thoroughly. Her sensitive skin tended to get rashes easier in the cooler weather.

"There we go. All clean." Steve taped the sides of the diaper up and made his way back to the living room where Bucky waited. "Hey, Buck."

"Hey, Stevie. She clean now?" Bucky was holding a pacifier with Steve's shield on it.

"Yeah she is." Steve sat down with the Little between them, watching Kayla reach for the pacifier.

"Here, Baby Doll." Bucky pushed the pacifier into the Little's mouth, hearing the pleased hum from the younger female. "She was fine after a bit once you left."

"Good, I'm glad." Steve smiled brightly, holding Bucky's hand with his other arm around his Little.

 


	44. Shrimp

Steve wheezed, eyelids fluttering as he slowly regained consciousness. He could hear a little voice calling Dada and he felt the overwhelming urge to go calm the owner of the voice. He lifted an arm and reached towards the sound, trying to force his eyes open to see.

"He's waking up." A familiar voice spoke from close by, a warm hand pushing his arm back down. He knew that voice, could see the owner of it in his head and it finally pushed him to open his eyes fully. "Stevie."

"Bucky?" Steve's voice rasped in his chest, making him think he'd had another asthma attack and that was why he'd lost consciousness.

"Hey, Punk." Bucky smiled, getting the glass of water from the nightstand and helped Steve drink from it.

"I heard crying. Who's crying?" Steve looked around, his thin frame dwarfed by the big bed he was laying in.

"You'll see soon." Bucky soothed. When he'd woken up in the 21st century and been greeted by a man who looked like him, he'd nearly fainted. Steve had fainted when he saw the two men who looked like them yet different. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah. What happened?" Steve looked around the unfamiliar room, gaping at the sleek black machine on the wall.

"You passed out. Got overwhelmed." Bucky crawled on the bed with Steve, sliding his arms around the frail man. They both looked as the door opened, a girl with soft brown hair and big hazel eyes stood there with her thumb in her mouth. "Where's your uncle, Baby Doll?"

"Bye bye." She mumbled around her thumb, shrugging. She had no clue where Tony had gone. The Little made her way to the bed, scrambling up to be near them.

"He left?" Bucky automatically assisted her onto the bed, tucking the small girl between Steve and himself.

She shrugged again, sucking on her fingers now and just observing Steve silently. The Little wasn't sure what to think of the man who had the same face as her Dada but not the same body.

"Bucky. It's her." Steve looked excited, pushing himself up more to look at the girl.

"Yep." Bucky nodded. "This is why you fainted earlier. We're in the future."

"The future?" Steve tilted his head, shaking as he touched Kayla's cheek and feeling the way she pressed her face into his palm. He curved his fingers along her jaw, nearly losing his breath at the absolute trust in her eyes.

"Yeah. 2018 apparently." Bucky watched Steve closely to make sure he was okay. "Apparently I found her in January. It's October now. Her name's Kayla."

"Kayda." The Little knew her name, looking at Bucky in confusion and waiting to see why he'd said it.

"Yes, that's you. Smart little thing." Bucky spoke fondly, ruffling her hair. "You were supposed to be taking a nap, Baby Doll."

Her lower lip jutted out at the mention of a nap, looking mutinous. She looked like she was going to run away and Bucky grabbed her right as she made to scramble off the bed.

"None of that. You know you're supposed to take a nap." Bucky scolded, laying her across his lap and swatting her butt. "You'll have to take one in here without your pacifier."

"No!" Kayla pouted, reaching to Steve for help and squirming.

"Cuddle with Dada. He could use it." Bucky moved the Little to lay against Steve's side carefully.

"Aw, Buck. Does she have to nap?" Steve couldn't bear the sight of the sad little face looking at him.

"Yes, she does. She takes a nap every day at this time." Bucky had been given a lot of information early in the morning when they'd first arrived because their future selves had been about to leave on a mission. "She has milk and then a nap. She's had a bottle and now she's supposed to nap. Her uncle Tony was supposed to lay her down for it."

"Dada pease." Kayla appealed to Steve, cuddling into his side and clutching the baggy shirt he was wearing.

"Sorry, Baby. You heard... what does she call you?" Steve looked at Bucky curiously.

"Mama..." Bucky grumbled, looking sulky. Steve wheezed with laughter, shaking as he cracked up. "That's rude, Punk."

"Okay, Mama." Steve snickered, burying his face into the Little's hair to stifle the sound. His thin arms wrapped around his Little, holding her closely. "Take a nap with Dada, Baby."

"Mmgh." She sounded discontented but curled up more into Steve's side and closed her eyes. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, sucking on a bit of Steve's shirt.

"I'll be right back." Bucky got up and left the room, returning with a pacifier and carefully freed Steve's shirt from the Little's mouth. He prodded the pacifier into Kayla's mouth, watching how the Little turned her head away from him once it was firmly in place.

"She can breathe right?" Steve was a worrier, feeling the Baby pressing her face in his side.

"Yes, she can." Bucky reassured him. "Her head is turned a bit."

"Good." Steve sighed in relief.

"I talked to her while she was Big earlier. She's very sweet." Bucky smiled at Steve. "Funny too. Very sarcastic."

"Sounds like a great girl." Steve looked at the sleeping Little tenderly. "So where are future us?"

"On a mission for a few days." Bucky answered casually. "We're staying on their floor and Tony will check in with us every day."

"Oh alright." Steve sunk into the soft pillows, looking tired.

"Sleep, Stevie." Bucky ordered gently. "You still need to rest."

"Yes, mother." Steve quipped before snuggling the Little closer and closing his eyes to go to sleep.

Bucky sighed with exasperated fondness, looking at the man he loved. He settled in with a book and started to read what the Little had suggested for him.

 


	45. Small

Steve watched the Little, sitting on an extravagantly comfortable couch in an apartment about six times the size of his and his ma's old apartment. He leaned down when she scooted across the floor to him, accepting the little toy and adding it to the pile in his lap.

"Thank you for sharing." Steve smiled softly and petted her hair, feeling her press her head into the touch.

"Now, it's time for the little monster to have a snack." Bucky had an apron on, looking very domestic and Steve couldn't help but laugh. "Hush, Punk. Your Ma would tan your hide for being so disrespectful."

"Ooooh. That was a low blow, Buck." Steve sulked, feeling the Little squirming up onto the couch and cuddling with him. "Least she loves me."

"Calm yourself." Bucky came over and stole the Little, carrying her off to the kitchen. "Into the chair you go."

"Nuh uh!" She squirmed, attempting to free herself.

"Yes." Bucky sighed and buckled her in, sliding the tray on after. He put down some strawberries and other fruits, stepping back and sitting at the table with a bowl of soup with another for Steve close by.

"OU!" She whipped a full strawberry at his face, hitting him in his left eye. He yelped, tipping backwards and crashing to the floor. It had only been two days since the 2018 Steve and Bucky had left and all hell was breaking loose.

"Ow, Fuck. My head." Bucky groaned, rubbing his head as Steve rushed in.

"I don't even know what that was." The Little had become Big after Bucky hit the floor. "I am so so sorry, Mama."

"S'all good." Bucky sat up, brushing Steve's hands off.

"I really am sorry." She apologized again, swinging her legs as Bucky stood up. Bucky moved closer and kissed her forehead.

"All good, Doll. S'long as you understand what you did wrong." Bucky smiled at her, seeing the sad expression. "Wanna sit in my lap instead?"

"Please." She lifted her arms for him, opening and closing her hands. It didn't take long for her to start slipping back into Little-Space, especially when he fed her with one hand and ate his soup with the other.

"Good girl." Bucky praised, watching Steve eat his own soup. "Finish your food, Stevie. You need it."

"This is why you're Mama." Steve stuck his tongue out and then finished his bowl of soup. He couldn't stop grinning, eyes taking in the sight of Bucky and their Little. "Don't move."

He jogged off and came back with the sketchbook Tony had given him along with a pencil, sitting down and starting to sketch them. He got the basic outline done when the Little squirmed free and toddled off.

"Do not worry, Steven. I have captured the image for you to use as reference." JARVIS' voice startled both of the two men.

"Thank you." Steve looked up at the ceiling, subconsciously searching for the voice. He made his way to the living room and sat on a fluffy cushion on the floor with his sketchbook on the coffee table.

"Sure, I'll clean up." Bucky muttered, cleaning up the mess from snack and washing the dishes. He went and started looking for the Little, finding her in the master bedroom on the bed. She'd clearly gone back to sleep, curled around Bucky's pillow with Steve's under her head. Bucky smiled and covered her up, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

~A week later~

Steve and Bucky had been sent back to their time by Tony and didn't remember anything that had happened as reality, thinking it was a dream instead. Peter was currently big and keeping an eye on Kayla for him while Tony did a video conference.

"Petey." Kayla was curled in Peter's side while they watched Scooby-Doo.

"Yeah?" Peter looked at his friend, smiling at her.

"Miss Daddy and Mama." She was slightly older than normal, about three.

"I bet. They should be home soon." Peter reassured her, squeezing the Little girl gently. "So until then, you can stay with me and Daddy and momma."

"Sad." She muttered, curling more under the fuzzy blanket and closing her eyes. Peter shifted slightly so they'd both be more comfortable and made sure she was entirely comfy, taking his babysitting duties seriously.

"Don't be sad." Peter felt bad, wanting to make her feel better. He started humming until he had gotten her to sleep before closing his own eyes.

 


	46. Few

"We're back." Bucky announced as he stepped off the elevator and waited for Steve to follow him off.

"Mama! Dada!" Their Little came running and jumped onto Bucky, feeling about two and a half currently.

"Hey, Pretty." Bucky kissed her cheek. "How's my girl?"

"Happy!" She squealed, hugging Bucky's neck as Peter came out of the playroom with his hair in little ponytails and makeup all over his face. Clint followed behind with fake hair dye in and big clip on earrings, makeup also all over.

"Hiya, Uncle Bucky. Hiya, Uncle Steve." Peter was clearly big. "Dad had me keep an eye on her again today cause he had another video conference."

"Oh." Steve was holding in his laughter while Bucky just howled with laughter.

"I got roped into joining." Clint threw a fake earring at Bucky's face.

"You can't have a tea party with only two people!" Peter snorted. "The Little Princess said so."

"Yeah, yeah." Clint stuck his tongue out.

"Daddy." Kayla reached her hands for Steve, wanting him to take her.

"Come here, Half-Pint." Steve took the Little, noting that she was in one of her fancy princess dresses that Tony had bought her. She started pushing at his shirt. "What's up, Baby?"

"Milk, Daddy." The brunette demanded, wanting the closeness to her caregiver.

"Can you say goodbye to Clint and Peter first? And thank them for playing with you?" Steve held her hands still.

"Bye-bye. Thanks!" Kayla flashed a sweet smile at the other two Littles who had removed all the fake jewelry.

"See ya." Clint kissed her cheek and then waited for Peter.

"Bye, Kayla!" Peter full on hugged the other Little, squeezing her gently before getting in the elevator with Clint.

Bucky returned the play jewelry to the playroom and returned to see Steve shirtless on the couch with their Little in his lap. "Don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing you like this, Babe. Seein' you give our Little girl milk while she looks at you all trustin'."

Steve blushed brightly, looking at Bucky with a shy smile. His husband definitely had a way with words. He beckoned Bucky closer and watched the other man sit next to him with their Little's legs in his lap.

"Hey, Pretty Baby. You spendin' time with Daddy?" Bucky rested his head on Steve's shoulder, smiling at the nursing Little.

"Mhm." She hummed around the nipple in her mouth, touching her Mama's face. It made her so happy to have them home with her. She HATED when they were gone but she didn't panic as much when they left anymore. She knew they were coming back.

"Buck, look at the clock. What time is it?" Steve sounded highly amused.

"It's 4 pm. Well, I'll be damned... She always knows when it's milk time." Bucky laughed, sliding his arms around both of them.

~Two hours later~

"Mama." The Little was holding onto Bucky's shirt, being held in his lap during dinner. She had ended up back in her usual baby mind at some point.

"Yeah, Sweetheart?" Bucky looked at her fondly, watching her open her mouth for some of the pudding he was feeding her/eating himself. "Silly..."

"Our past selves took a lot of photos. And other me filled two sketchbooks." Steve looked amused again, flipping through the sketchbooks. "Lots of ones of you. A bunch of Kayla and a few self portraits. Plus a couple of Clint, Peter and Kayla playing together."

"Lots of me." Bucky snickered, wiping the Little's face off with a wet wipe and shifting her in his lap. "Can she sleep with us?"

"I suppose." Steve sounded faintly aggrieved but was also smiling. He took the sketchbooks to his little study and put them up to look at more later.

He found Bucky changing their Little. The former assassin was singing to her in Russian, entertaining her during the change. He finished up and tugged his own Henley over her head in lieu of pajamas.

"This is why she hates wearing clothes." Steve laughed and Bucky swore at him in Russian. "Rude."

"Yep. C'mon, Baby. We'll leave Daddy to sleep in the spare room." Bucky stuck his tongue out at Steve and made his way into the master bedroom where Steve followed.

"Dada." Kayla looked at Steve crossly when he didn't lay close enough for her to touch.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Steve rolled to lay on his side, facing them and looking fondly at his family.

 


	47. Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the sake of legality and not making things weird, Peter is 18 in this universe.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Kayla was holding Peter's hand, dressed in Big clothing.

"Yeah! I go out by myself all the time! It's okay as long as we're big." Peter nodded repeatedly and tugged her into the elevator, grinning brightly. Of course he wouldn't tell her that Tony usually had security following him but it wasn't necessary information.

They rode the elevator quietly, Kayla scrolling through her messages on Facebook and leaning against Peter. She had woken up with no sign of her Little-Space on a day where Bucky and Steve had been called to work with Phil.

"C'mon!" Peter led her through the lobby and out of the Tower, navigating easily through the crowds. He took her to a café first, buying them both hot chocolate and some muffins to eat while sitting inside. "So what do you like to do for fun?"

"I used to read a lot. And write stories. I'd video chat with my foreign friends and we'd talk about the differences between American English, British English and Australian English. Lots of spontaneous dance parties." Kayla smiled softly, thinking back to the days before Mama and Daddy. "I do update my stories when I'm big enough for it. I've been keeping my readers updated on me finding my caregivers and some of the stuff we do."

"That's pretty cool. I like to do science experiments." Peter flashed a broad grin. "And I go see Aunt May sometimes. My friends Ned and MJ come over sometimes."

"Awesome." She leaned forward slightly, smiling at Peter. It was hard not to smile when he did, his face was so expressive and every emotion was practically painted over every inch.

"Ned is a Neutral and MJ is a Dominant." Peter explained. "You ready to go?"

"Uh huh." She nodded and Peter stood and hurried around to pull her chair out. He helped her up, made sure she had her bag and her drink before leading her out onto the sidewalk.

"Happy! What are you doing here?" Peter blinked at the sight of Happy Hogan waiting for them.

"I'm going to drive you both around." Happy had made the decision by himself when he had seen them leave.

"Can you take us to Central Park? I've never been." Kayla had seen the stubborn jut to Peter's jaw and had intervened before he could say anything.

"You've never been?" Peter was properly distracted and helped her into the car.

"Nope, haven't been many places outside of the tower really. And I had just barely moved here when Bucky found me." Kayla shrugged, sipping her cocoa and smiling at Peter. "I grew up in Wisconsin, Peter. I haven't even lived here a full year."

"Huh. Alright." Peter slung an arm around her shoulders, sipping his own drink. "I get to be the first to show you it!"

"Yes, yes you do." Kayla laughed, leaning her head into his shoulder. Happy parked relatively close and gave them a look.

"I'll be close by at all times." Happy warned, slipping an earpiece in and the two nodded before getting out.

"Your fingers are gonna get cold." Peter reached into his own pocket and pulled out the extra pair of gloves he'd stuck in there. He put them on her and laughed as she blinked at him quizzically. "I'm ALWAYS prepared."

"Weirdo." The brunette girl laughed, holding his hand once he put his own gloves on. They walked through the park slowly and Peter bought two huge scarves, wrapping one around her neck and leaning down for her to put the other on him.

"There, we match." Peter grinned, pulling out his phone and snapping a photo of them. "Documentation of this."

"I should send one to my friends." Kayla snickered, having Peter take the photo because she was too short to get all of him in it. She sent it off to her two best friends and the two continued walking as Happy kept an eye on them.

They walked and talked about nerd things for two hours until she was shivering.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I forget that not everyone has my body temperature." Peter apologized. "Here, I'll give you a piggyback ride back to the car."

He crouched down and she climbed on his back, wrapping her arms and legs around him securely. She made sure not to like smack him with her purse and yelped as he started to jog off.

"Hold on tight." Peter grinned yet again, shifting his grip and truly running. Happy was struggling to keep anywhere near them, panting heavily once he reached the car a few minutes after them. "Hey, Happy."

"Peter, get in the car." Happy grouched, going around to the driver's side and unlocking the car. He waited until the two teens were safely inside and then took them back to the tower.

"Thank you, Mr. Happy." Kayla smiled at Happy from the backseat, curled into Peter's side and absorbing his body heat. Littles didn't ever feel sexual arousal but that didn't mean they couldn't fall in love.

"Yeah, thank you." Peter looked happy. He snuck a glance at the girl next to him and chuckled. Her nose and cheeks were bright red from the chilly air that they had been in outside. He gripped her hands and rubbed them between his to warm them, blowing hot air over the chilled skin.

"Thanks, Peter." Kayla leaned more into him, eyes bright with enjoyment. They held hands all the way in the elevator, going to Steve and Bucky's floor. "I had a lot of fun. We should so do this again."

"Yeah, we should." Peter kissed her cheek before watching her get off the elevator with her new scarf still on. And if he had a dopey smile as he went to his own floor, well no one had to know.

 


	48. Talks

"Daddy!" Kayla shouted, running at Steve as he came off the elevator. She jumped up onto him, grinning happily and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey, Baby." Steve smiled softly, kissing her forehead. "What did you do today?"

"Went outside with Peter and Happy." She was being a human koala, clinging to Steve.

"You went outside?" Steve kept his tone light. He didn't want her to go out without him or Bucky, she could be hurt or taken.

"Mhm. I had a lot of fun. Peter and Happy took me to Central Park, Daddy. And Peter bought me a scarf." She had noticed the tension in his body and nuzzled his shoulder like Little Kayla did when sleepy. "We had hot chocolate and muffins too. Peter made sure I had gloves and Happy kept a close watch."

"That sounds nice, Half-Pint." Steve made himself smile, forcing himself not to strip her and check her for any wounds. "Mama will be home soon. He went to get a treat for you."

"A treat?" Kayla pressed another kiss to Steve's cheek, trying to make him actually smile and not this plastic looking one.

"You'll like it. You've been so good." Steve nodded and went to the nursery. "Baby did you wear a diaper?"

"Yes, Daddy." She had forgotten to change herself though.

"Let's get you changed." Steve laid her down on the changing table. He logically knew she was Big but he wanted to take care of her. He frowned at the rash already starting and rubbed the rash cream onto the irritated skin, sighing at the grumpy noise she made.

"Hurts." She complained quietly, looking at Steve.

"I'm home, guys!" Bucky's voice came from the hallway.

"In the nursery." Steve called back, taping up the new diaper. He pulled a loose dress onto her, helping her onto the floor and throwing away the diaper.

"Mama!" Kayla went running towards the sound of Bucky's voice and grinned when she saw the metal armed man.

"Hey, Princess." Bucky greeted her, lifting her into a tight hug and kissing her cheek. "Got you something."

"Yay. Mama, Peter and I went out today. With Mister Happy. He took us to Central Park. Cause I've never been before." Kayla told Bucky who kissed her cheek.

"Did you have fun?" Bucky questioned, ignoring the look on Steve's face in the background.

"Mhm! Peter got us matching scarves and he brought extra gloves for me too." She hooked her legs around Bucky's waist to make herself more comfortable as Bucky stood holding her.

"Aw, Baby Doll. That's adorable." Bucky grinned. "Let's go see your gift."

"Yaaaay." Kayla may have been Big but that didn't mean she couldn't get excited about presents. Bucky carried her to the living room and handed her a big gift bag. She pulled out illustrated copies of the Harry Potter books. "Mama! This is beyond awesome! This is amazing! Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Sweetheart." Bucky looked pleased at how well his gift had been received.

"Daddy, look!" She turned to show Steve one of the books. "It's good but you can draw a lot better though."

Kayla was still getting his anxiety over her going out playing on the emotional bond between them while Bucky's radiated happiness. Was she sucking up? Yes, but she really did think Steve was a better artist than the illustrator of the books.

"Thanks, Half-Pint." Steve was slowly relaxing, feeling her excitement over the bond and made his way to sit with her.

"Will you look at them with me? It's Mama's turn to make dinner." Kayla smiled adorably at Steve, cuddling into his lap and placing the first book in his hand while Bucky took the others to the Nursery.

"Sure, baby." Steve pressed a kiss to her temple and opened the book.


	49. Thanks

"Dada." Kayla muttered, whining as Steve moved her from his warm lap. She had fallen asleep and woken up Little.

"Hey there, baby." Steve spoke quietly, realizing that she had dropped. He lifted her up as he stood, taking her to the kitchen. "Mama made us some dinner."

"She Little?" Bucky stirred their dinner, having made chicken dumpling soup.

"Yep." Steve nodded, shifting the sleepy Little and felt her dig her face into his shoulder. "She fell asleep while we were reading. Guess she dropped then."

"Probably tired from her day." Bucky smiled softly, hair tied back in a man bun. He ladled soup into bowls and put one in the freezer to cool down for a bit. "Stevie, she was safe. She had Peter and Happy there with her. They are capable of protecting her."

"I know. I just worry." Steve grumbled, sitting down with her in his lap.

"Not gonna wrestle her into the chair?" Bucky teased.

"Shut up." Steve sniped playfully, snuggling the Little. "I need to hold her. Besides, you wanna let her feed herself soup?"

"Nah. That would be a huge mess." Steve shook his head, feeling her snuggling more into him. "Easier to feed her that."

"Yep it is." Bucky checked the soup in the fridge and set it by Steve. "Feed her first and then eat."

"Sounds good." Steve fed her first and then ate his own dinner, talking to Bucky while the Little just stared at Bucky the whole time.

"Hey, Baby Doll." Bucky grinned, seeing her looking at him. "What's up, Baby? Do I have something on my face?"

"Mama." She leaned towards him from Steve's lap and Bucky moved around the table to hold her. He scooped her up, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Almost time for a check up with Uncle Bruce." Bucky decided, adjusting her in his hold. "Your turn for clean up, Stevie. I'm on bath duty."

"No, Mama." The Little mumbled, clinging to Bucky's neck and whining. She still wasn't fond of baths when she was Little.

Bucky carried her to the bathroom and undressed both of them, getting in the tub with her. They'd found it easier to just do it like that because she whined less. He wet her hair carefully and started to wash her body first, scrubbing her thoroughly before moving onto her hair which earned him loud screaming from her.

"C'mom, Baby Doll. It's not that bad." Bucky soothed, massaging the shampoo into her hair and holding her in place with his legs. "It's not hurting you, Sweetheart. Shh."

"NOOOOO!" She shrieked, flinging her head around and nearly hitting Bucky in the face with her soapy hair. Bucky carefully rinsed the shampoo, making sure it didn't get in her eyes while also being through in his rinsing.

"We really need to talk to Big Kayla about why Little Kayla hates baths." Steve knelt next to the tub, rubbing her hand as she tried to grab him. "Let Mama use conditioner on your hair. You're going to get terrible snarls if you don't."

Bucky thoroughly coated Kayla's hair in conditioner and rinsed as fast as he could yet made sure her hair was clean also. She sobbed the whole time and reached for Steve once Bucky let go of her. Steve wrapped her in her owl towel and cradled her.

"Aw, Half-Pint. Don't cry. It was just a bath." Steve soothed, rubbing her dry and starting the process of lotioning her soft skin. He rubbed a tiny bit more diaper rash cream on her rash and taped up the diaper. "There we go. All done."

He settled her between his legs and carefully brushed her hair, detangling the soft brown strands and putting them in a loose braid. It made it easier to brush her hair when she woke up if it was back while it was wet rather than drying in weird ways while she slept.

"Pretty baby doll." Bucky had washed himself and his hair, putting it back up in a man bun. He pulled on some clean underwear and sat down next to them, chuckling as he was snubbed by the Little who refused to look at him. Whoever gave the bath was usually snubbed for a bit after.

"Do you want Daddy to read some more to you?" Steve offered, picking up the book they had been reading. She nodded slightly, relaxing against Steve and sitting sideways between his legs with her feet in Bucky's lap. Her thumb slipped into her mouth and she sucked slowly, eyes examining the pictures.

"Hey, Sweetheart. Here." Bucky leaned over and gently tugged her thumb free, pressing a pacifier into her mouth. She held his wrist in her hand, looking at him tiredly. He carefully slid his hand down and held her hand carefully as Steve read to them.

 


	50. Violet

"So. Peter took Kayla out?" Tony grinned, sitting on Steve's couch while holding Bruce's hand. Bucky and Steve were on the loveseat while Phil sat in a chair. The three Littles were playing in the playroom with the door open.

"Yeah. They went to Central Park." Bucky nodded. "Happy was with."

"There's always someone with Peter when he goes out." Bruce explained.

"That makes me feel better." Steve admitted. "But it still scared me."

"You could have JARVIS tell you if they leave. Or not let her leave. But that might make her resent you." Tony rested his elbows on his knees.

"Your best bet is just having security follow her too." Phil shrugged. "Or Clint could go with if he's here and Big."

"I feel like Peter might get annoyed at that." Tony snickered. "He already gets grouchy about sharing her attention on these playdates."

"Tough luck. My Little isn't some toy to be hidden away." Steve grumbled, looking sulky. "She can talk to whomever she pleases."

"Liar." Bucky teased, ruffling Steve's hair. "You'd rather she talk to just us if you could get away with it."

"Me and Bruce and Phil are kinda necessary for her to talk to when you aren't here, Capsicles." Tony snorted. "She can't just not talk to us."

"To be fair, she did talk a little when I babysat that one time but she mostly screamed and cried." Bruce recalled.

"And filled your lap with toys." Phil added helpfully. "But she did snuggle with us too."

"She's cuddly when she wants to be." Bucky laughed. "I'm pretty sure she'd stay in our arms almost all day if we'd let her."

"You should try it one day. Just to see what happens." Tony was curious.

"She is not sleeping in our bed, Bucky." Steve cut Bucky off as the dark haired man opened his mouth. "You already let her too much as it is."

"Aw, Stevie. She likes cuddling in our bed and she sleeps better!" Bucky protested.

"Co-sleeping is okay every now and again." Bruce added his input.

"Peter crawls in sometimes." Tony slung his arm around Bruce's shoulders.

"Clint only does it if he's had a rough day." Phil shrugged as they looked at him. "He's a "big" boy remember."

They heard the sound of crying and fighting coming from the playroom. All five men sighed, looking at each other and got up.

"Hey, what's going on?" Phil spoke, seeing Clint on the floor and Peter with a bloody nose. Kayla was just sitting on the rug, crying while clutching a bear with its head ripped off.

"C'mere, Baby Doll." Bucky knelt in front of her and carefully took the decapitated bear. He set it to the side and picked her up, shushing her gently. "Shh, you're okay. I'll fix it."

"What happened?" Tony looked at the two boys with his "Daddy is Disappointed" face. Peter frowned, hugging himself.

"Clint, why did you hit Peter?" Phil had seen the blood on Clint's knuckles.

"Deserved it." Clint looked mutinous. He wasn't sorry in the least bit.

"No one deserves to be hit. Except bad guys and your cousin is not a bad guy." Phil used his stern Daddy voice. "How did the bear get ripped?"

"Pulling on it." Peter muttered, looking at them with big eyes. "Me n Clinty."

"You guys were pulling on it and it ripped. So why were you yelling?" Bruce spoke calmly, keeping his tone even.

"Ruined Kayla's bear." Peter pointed at Clint.

"He called me names!" The four year old Little shouted, looking like he'd burst into angry tears.

"We don't call names and we don't hit, guys." Bruce sighed. "What do you say to Kayla? And to your uncles?"

"Sorry for ruining your bear." Clint apologized. "Sorry, Uncle Bucky n Uncle Steve."

"Okay, Clint." Steve was not happy.

"Sorry." Peter sniffled, moving over to Bucky and Kayla and hugging them both before going to Steve and hugging him.

"It's okay." Bucky spoke this time.

"I'm going to go have a talk with this one." Phil pulled Clint out by the hand, wondering how on earth the playdate had gone that badly.

"We really do have bad luck." Tony groaned and picked Peter up. "I'll get her another bear too."

Bruce pulled his husband out while Tony carried Peter out. They rode down to their floor and settled in to have a talk with Peter.

"Mama will fix your bear, Baby." Bucky soothed the still sniffling Little girl. "And Uncle Tony is getting you a new friend for your bear."

"Mama used to fix his sisters' toys all the time when they got ruined." Steve reminisced, taking the Little from Bucky. Bucky grabbed the two pieces and the stuffing that had come out, going into his little office and grabbed a sewing kit. "He also would patch up all the holes in our clothes too."

He let the Little under his shirt, feeling the familiar sensation of her mouth on his nipple and the let down of his milk. It wasn't milk time but he didn't really care, she was upset and it made her feel better.

"He'll be fixed in a bit, Sweetheart." Bucky was carefully threading the needle. He methodically sewed the head most of the way back on and then pushed the fallen stuffing back inside before finishing up. He went back over and sewed in more stitches to make sure it stayed on though, wanting it to stay entirely fixed. "It's done, Baby Doll."

"Mama." She looked at him with a huge smile when he gave her the bear back. She squeezed it tightly, looking overjoyed at the fixing of her toy.

"Love you, Sugar." Bucky accepted the drooly kiss on his cheek with a broad grin. His Little was happy.

"Uhve oo." Kayla cooed at him and then looked at Steve. "Uhve Oo, Dada."

"Love you too, Half-Pint." Steve smiled softly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

 


	51. Hold

Bucky stood in front of the crib, looking at his sleeping Little and grinned slightly. Today was the day where he'd hold her all day and tomorrow was Steve's turn. The only time he wouldn't hold her was during bathroom breaks.

"Baby Doll. Time to wake up." Bucky's accented voice rumbled as he rubbed the Little's back to wake her. He picked her up after his keen hearing heard the almost inaudible whine she made. "Good morning, sweetheart."

He laid her down to change her, choosing to leave her in the shirt he had put on her last night. He slid a pair of socks on her cold feet and scooped her up. She was sleepy and cuddly, clinging to Bucky tightly. Her Mama was warm and his chest was a comfy place to lean on to fall back asleep.

"Doll, you want some milk? Daddy's gone out for the morning so he can't." Bucky explained to the Little who just touched Bucky's milk swollen pec. He took that as a yes and sat in the rocking chair, situating her comfortably and starting their day. He talked quietly to her, rocking slowly and keeping eye contact. "We'll have some scrambled eggs for breakfast too. How does that sound?"

Bucky was more lenient with her diet and fed her soft foods other than the purees Steve made for her. He had tasted some of them and found the ones with broccoli especially disgusting. She mumbled up at him, hazel eyes blinking slowly.

She was really Little at the moment like she usually was after emotional upheavals. The Little had gotten a call the day before from a relative who had attempted to shame her for being a Little. Steve had taken the phone and shouted at the relative while Bucky had attempted to soothe their Little.

"Mm. How about soft stuff?" Bucky had realized that eggs were probably not the way to go when she was this Little. He rubbed her cheek, smiling at how soft her skin was. "Got some fruit purees that Daddy made the other day. Ones with banana in it. You love banana."

He held her with one arm while opening one of the containers of fruit puree. His steady walking soothed her back to nearly asleep and he sighed softly, looking fondly at her. He snagged a plastic spoon and sat in a chair.

"Hold on, Baby. You can't go back to sleep yet." Bucky opened the container and filled the spoon. "Open, Doll."

She opened her mouth slowly, leaning into Bucky's chest and eating. It took a long while and Bucky was very patient as he fed her. He liked having her so close to him.

"Was that good, Sweetheart?" Bucky cleaned her mouth off with a wipe and chucked the empty container and spoon in the sink. Bucky hiked her up higher and carried her off to the nursery for another diaper change, humming under his breath. "Now what will we do?"

She hadn't made any movement to get free of his arms at all, content to just be held. Her hazel eyes just looked at Bucky, watching him talk to her and he finally decided on a movie until her nap time.

Steve returned right after nap time, wearing a whole bunch of layers. He hated the cold weather outside. "Hey, you two."

"Dada." Kayla mumbled, looking at Steve for a second before focusing back on Bucky's hands as he knitted. She was sitting with her back against Bucky's chest and resting her hands on his forearms as his fingers moved his knitting needles elegantly.

"Such a warm welcome." Steve snorted, putting his layers away and sat next to them.

"Hey, Babe." Bucky paused in his knitting and kissed Steve for a minute before yelping as he was kicked.

"No!" His Little was sulking, pulling at Bucky's hands. She wanted him to keep knitting.

"Doll, that was mean." Bucky scolded, shifting her to sit completely back against his chest and started knitting again. He was making a scarf for Steve despite the fact that he'd made the blond like twenty of them already.

"Grouch." Steve smiled at his Little, leaning over and kissing her temple. He got his book and started to read, passing the time until Lunch and disappearing to go cook.

Their day continued on much in the same way. She made no move to free herself at any point, too small to really want to.

He ended up giving in about the Little sleeping with them when Bucky said he would sleep in the guest room with her. He didn't want Bucky away from him at all.


	52. Holding

~Next Day~

Steve woke up to his Little being pushed up against his chest and her mouth latching to his nipple. "Going somewhere?"

"Gonna go for a run and then to help Coulson train newbies." Bucky pressed a kiss to Steve's lips and smiled before leaving.

"Me and you today, Half-Pint." Steve smiled softly at his Little who patted his face clumsily. "Gonna have some oatmeal and then we have Daddy-Baby bonding."

The Little hummed around his nipple, bigger today than she was yesterday. She liked spending time with Dada and even if Mama had left, it was okay because Dada was still there.

"Mama gave you milk yesterday, fed you all day." Steve rubbed her back, watching her nurse from him. "Today is Dada's turn. I get to keep you with me all day."

He really was excited about it. It was rare that his entire day was entirely free. He had JARVIS rerouting any calls from SHIELD elsewhere and had told Tony he didn't want to be bothered. Bucky had done the same thing yesterday.

The blond leaned over and snagged a diaper from under the nightstand along with some wipes, letting her finish nursing before changing her wet diaper. He dressed her in her favorite shirt of his, a blue tshirt with Captain Spangles on it. Tony had gifted it to him for his birthday.

"Look at that. You look cute." Steve crooned, picking Kayla back up and cuddled her. The soldier settled her in one arm and took her to the kitchen, making her some scrambled eggs and then coated them in cheese like she liked.

He fed her carefully, making sure she didn't choke and then helping her drink some juice from a bottle. She squirmed slightly but then settled when he shifted her to lean back against his chest so she could look out at the room. Steve ate his own breakfast with one hand and cuddled his Little, looking pleased.

Kayla mumbled grumpily as she shifted again, her diaper was wet now and sitting was uncomfortable. Steve knew and went to the nursery to change her again, making sure there was no rash.

"Hm... How about some tummy time?" Steve suggested, leaving her undressed and removed his own shirt before going to the living room and laying on the rug they had down for her. He laid her on him and talked to her, feeling her cold nose on his warm skin. "Brr, Baby. Are you ready for Christmas? It's coming up real soon, Baby Girl. We'll have a big tree and we'll make some ornaments."

"Dada." She seemed to like him talking about Christmas.

"Me and Mama will anchor the tree properly so there's no chance of it falling. And we'll put you up on our shoulders so you can put the Angel on top too." Steve continued the topic, brushing his fingers down her back and then grabbing a blanket that dangled from a nearby chair. He covered them with it and smiled, kissing her forehead. "Grandma Sarah loved the holidays even if we didn't have much. She liked the decorations the wealthy people would do and the hospital would decorate a tiny bit too, mostly things the nurses would make. She would have loved you, Half-Pint. Probably woulda stole you from us and held you every chance she got."

Steve liked telling his Little about his mother, it was like connecting two parts of his life. The Baby seemed to pay attention, no longer babbling but just staring at him with a focused look. Her hazel eyes were locked to his blue ones.

"And Grandma Winifred. Now there was a terrifying woman. Didn't matter if you weren't her kid, she'd tan your hide if you misbehaved around her. She and my Ma always believed in me though. They both always thought I'd do great things." Steve looked nostalgic. "Can't tell you how many times she beat my bottom though. Cause me and Mama used to get into trouble a lot."

"Mama?" Kayla mumbled, glancing around for Bucky before focusing back on Dada.

"Mama used to save me when I'd pick on guys three times bigger than me. He'd kick their butts." Steve smiled brilliantly and stroked her hair gently, feeling her rest her cheek on his chest. "It's naptime, huh?"

Steve adjusted the blanket and started humming, hearing her breathing even out and felt the warm wetness of her drooling around her pacifier that he had slipped in her mouth. He closed his eyes, letting his mind wander as she napped. He had no places to be and no hurry to do anything.


	53. Hide

Clint was bored and when he was bored, he caused mischief. He snuck into the playroom where his baby cousin was playing by herself and grinned. "Wanna see something cool?"

"Mhm!" She was about two and a half at the moment. She stood and followed him, Clint boosting her on top of a cupboard and then following her up.

He opened the vent cover and pushed her in, climbing up after and shutting it. "I like to play up here. Daddy says not to when I'm small but it's okay."

Clint instructed Kayla to crawl ahead a bit and then moved past her, leading the way through the vents until she stopped suddenly. He turned to look at her and frowned, she was teary eyed and trembling.

"No cryin'. Cryin' is for babies." Clint shook his head at her. She did start to cry at that, voice echoing through the ventilation system.

~With the adults~

Phil noticed the sound first, having been in charge while Steve and Bucky were at SHIELD. He cursed quietly, noticing that other than the crying that it was too quiet.

He ran to the playroom and looked at the vent in horror. "CLINTON BARTON!"

"Daddy!" Clint called through the vents, having heard the echo of Phil's yell. He desperately tried to quiet Kayla, patting her head and hugging her tightly. "Shh, Baby. Is okay."

She just cried harder, calling for Steve and Bucky. The Little girl was terrified, unable to follow Clint when he moved away from her.

"I be back." Clint petted her head and crawled back the way they came, sticking his head out of the open vent right as Steve and Bucky ran into the room. "Uh oh."

"Where is she?!" Steve was freaking out and Bucky had that emotionless expression he got when he locked down to keep from freaking out also.

"Clint... Took her in the vents." Phil looked pale.

"Won't come out. Won't move." Clint explained to the adults.

"Why won't she?" Phil was trying to keep calm.

"Scared, Daddy. She scared." Clint informed Phil, wondering if his daddy had temporarily gone stupid.

"I bet..." Phil pinched his nose.

"We need to get her out!" Steve shouted.

"Where’s Peter? None of us will be able to maneuver her out. We're too big to fit." Bucky had formulated a plan.

"I have informed Young Sir that he is needed and he is in the elevator." JARVIS told them. Peter came in shortly after and looked up at Clint, scowling instantly.

"You Big?" Bucky's plan needed Big Peter.

"Yeah. I was working on my lessons. What happened?" Peter was already slipping off his socks and scaling the wall to get to the vent.

"Clint took Kayla into the vents. And now she won't come out because she's afraid." Phil told him.

The sound of crying seemed to pick up again as the girl Little was left alone still. She was afraid of being stuck there forever.

"And you need me to go get her. Got it." Peter crawled in the vent, shoving Clint lightly and made his way through the vents. He was wincing slightly at the painful volume of the other Little's cries but soldiered on, finding her and just pulling her in a tight hug. "Shh, Kayl. You're okay. I'm gonna get you out. Let's go, okay? Your Daddy and Mama are waiting."

"Petey!" She wailed, shoving her face against the side of his neck and clutching at him. He had an idea and helped her hook her arms and legs under his sweater, zipping it and then wrapped one arm around her.

"Got her!" He called through the vents and heard a muffled response of hurry. Peter crawled back through, careful with his precious cargo and paused. "Gonna lower you down to your Mama, okay? I won't drop you."

The spider man carefully got them out of the vent and on top of the cabinet, unzipping his sweater and handing her over the side to Bucky before climbing down the side. Steve grabbed him in a tight hug, clutching the boy desperately as he thanked him profusely.

"Petey." Kayla sniffled, looking at Peter from her Mama’s arms and reached for a hug. He was her hero.

"Did Uncle Phil and Clint leave?" Peter was content as he hugged the Little, working on calming his own racing heart.

"He's going to go punish Clint." Bucky rumbled, not letting go of his Little girl. "Thank you."

"Any time, honestly. I'll always help if you need it." Peter told them. "She's the best."

"Yeah, she is." Steve agreed, looking more composed and then sent Peter off because Bruce needed him.

Bucky showed no signs of letting go of his Little, murmuring prayers in Russian to a deity he didn't even believe in. He pressed kisses all over the top of her head and then went to the nursery to change her, she was a bit dirty and needed a clean diaper.

Steve followed, hovering close by. He had no desire to let her out of his sight.

Once bedtime hit, the two silently agreed on having her sleep with them. Steve knew he shouldn't let her but he had been so scared when the mark on his shoulder had flared with pain. He had dropped what he had been holding, grabbed Bucky and they had ran.


	54. Mini Holly Jolly

"Ready, Half-Pint?" Steve carefully lifted his Little onto his shoulders and held her steady as she set the angel on top of the tree. "Good job."

"I'm Big, Daddy." Kayla chuckled, holding onto his head as he backed away from the tree and then squealed as Bucky lifted her from Steve's shoulders.

"So? You still did a good job." Bucky pressed a kiss to her cheek and then set her down. She went back to putting ornaments on the lower part of the tree while Steve and Bucky focused on the upper part. They had bought ornaments and also made some of their own.

~Half an hour later~

Steve looked the tree over and smiled. "You did great, Half-Pint. Looks real pretty."

"I agree." Bucky smacked a kiss on the side of his Little's head. "Our first Christmas as a family."

"Can you believe that it's been almost a year since you found me?" Kayla snuggled into Steve's side and under his arm.

"So much has happened." Steve held Bucky's hand also, smiling broadly. "We found our Little, got together, got married, celebrated holidays and gotten closer all together."

"I love you both." Kayla smiled at her Daddy and Mama.

"Love you too, Doll." Bucky hugged her tightly.

"I love you too." Steve smiled at the Little, looking pleased at their little family.

~A day later~

"No, baby!" Bucky hurried over to the Little who was eating one of the candy canes from the tree. "You gotta leave those on the tree, Baby Doll."

The Little just continued sucking on the candy, looking at Bucky with big eyes. She raised one hand towards him, signifying that she wanted to be held and Bucky lifted her up. He shrugged off the one she was eating and hoped she would leave the rest alone.

"What happened?" Steve had been cooking lunch and stuck his head out of the kitchen.

"She got a hold of one of the candy canes." Bucky explained, hiking the Little up more and carried her into the kitchen.

"Aw, Half-Pint. You gotta leave those til after Christmas." Steve scolded gently, stroking her cheek with his free hand. "Plus I'm making something good for lunch."

Kayla just mumbled around the candy in her mouth, tangling a sticky hand into Bucky's hair. She leaned more into Mama, enjoying the minty candy and being close to one of her caregivers.

"You're gonna need to wash your hair, Buck." Steve sounded highly amused.

"Dammit. I just took a shower earlier." Bucky cussed.

"Language. Our Little is right there!" Steve scolded Bucky.

"Sorry, Baby." Bucky kissed the Little's cheek. "Mama is bein' a bad influence."

"Mama." Kayla clutched her candy in one hand once she pulled it from her mouth.

"Yes, baby?" Bucky sat in a chair, settling her in his lap and keeping her from yanking out his hair in the process.

She simply pressed the candy cane to his mouth until he licked it and then stuck it back in her own mouth, looking pleased. She had wanted to share with Mama Bucky.

 


	55. Mess

"Baby, what's wrong?" Bucky saw the Little standing next to his chair with a lost look on her face. She didn't usually come into the room that was his office so it was doubly worrying.

She didn't say a word, just staring at him and trembling. Her hands were gripping her nightdress, white knuckled.

"C'mere, Baby Doll." Bucky turned his chair and drew her into his lap, wondering what could've spooked his Little in the hour since he laid her down to bed. She moved pliantly but was stiff in his lap, not melting into him like normal. "What's wrong? I can't fix it if I don't know what's wrong. Do you want Dada?"

"Unc Ney." She whispered.

"You want Uncle Tony? I think he's putting Petey to bed but we can call him." Bucky offered.

"Unc Ney." Kayla repeated, allowing Bucky to stand up with her in his arms. He walked to the living room where Steve was folding clothes and sat down in the big comfy rocker-recliner.

"She wants to call Tony." Bucky explained, seeing the questioning look on his blond's face. 'I'll tell you later.'

JARVIS put a video call to Tony who was laying on his couch after putting Peter to bed.

"Hey, Cap and Winter Butthole." Tony greeted. "Why's little Princess awake?"

"Unc Ney!" She cried, reaching towards the image.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Tony frowned, sounding worried.

She didn't respond verbally, just touching her chest repeatedly until Tony pulled his shirt up and showed her the reactor. She flinched at bruises on his ribs and he lowered his shirt.

"JARVIS, did she see the footage of the battle earlier?" Tony questioned.

"Yes, Sir. I did not turn it in time and she saw you get hit by the robot." JARVIS sounded apologetic.

"Aw, Princess. I'm okay. It just stings a bit if I touch it. I'm okay. The reactor is okay too." Tony reassured his favorite niece. "Everything is okay."

She relaxed when he finished speaking, leaning into Bucky's chest and sucking her thumb while looking at Tony. She had dreamt that he hadn't been okay and that he had died.

"It's time for Little girls to be in bed so go to sleep for your Mama and Daddy, okay?" Tony smiled and waited until he got a sleepy nod before ending the call.

"Here, Baby." Steve pressed a pacifier into her mouth to replace her thumb. She sucked lightly on it, curling up in Bucky's lap as he rocked slowly. Now that she knew her Unc Ney was okay, she was ready to fall back asleep.

Bucky got her back to sleep and tucked her into his and Steve's bed before going back to the living room. He slid into Steve's lap and kissed his cheek.

"Our girl is so sweet." Bucky hummed. "She needed to make sure that Tony was okay. Although I hate that she had a nightmare."

"I do too but at least she calmed down once she knew he was okay." Steve added. "That could've been so much worse."

Bucky was quiet now, just leaning against Steve's chest and sighing. "It's been almost a year since we found her, Stevie. Can you believe it?"

"Feels just like yesterday that she was calling me Dada for the first time." Steve smiled, cuddling Bucky. "You should go to bed, Buck. You look tired."

"I will. Night, Punk. Love you." Bucky stood up and started making his way to bed.

"Night, Jerk. Love you too." Steve knew Bucky had heard him.

 


	56. Quotes

"Peter. It's a year tomorrow." Kayla was Big, spending time with her favorite arachnid.

"Since they found you?" Peter was eating a bowl of soup.

"Yes." Kayla nodded. "A whole year of craziness. Can you believe it? So much has happened."

"It has." Peter smiled softly. "Do you have something planned?"

She grinned and started detailing her plan, gesturing animatedly. She often used her hands while speaking.

~Next day~

Kayla was awake early, letting herself out of the crib and made her way into the kitchen. She had heard Steve moving around in there and wanted to see him right away.

"What are you doing out of the crib?" Steve sounded tired despite needing less sleep than a normal human. "You know you aren't supposed to climb out."

"I'm big though." Kayla frowned, looking confused. They usually didn't care if she was big and let herself out.

"You still aren't supposed to." Steve sighed, sounding a bit frustrated. He scrubbed a hand over his face, sighing deeply again.

"You don't care any other time. You've never yelled at me about it before." She sounded puzzled.

"Well I'm telling you right now." Steve went back to what he had been doing.

"I don't understand." She rubbed her face, looking at the back of Steve's head.

"Stop arguing with me. You've gotten yourself a time out." Steve turned and looked at her, drying his hands off.

"I didn't do anything!" Kayla backed up, unsure of what exactly was happening or why Steve seemed to be in a bad mood.

"And a spanking." Steve lunged, grabbing his Little and lifting her from the floor. "Arguing with me and climbing out of your crib."

"I want Mama." She squirmed, for once not wanting to be held.

"Bucky is sleeping. Don't wake him up." Steve warned, laying her over his lap and spanking her before taking her to the living room Naughty Corner. He didn't look like himself really. "Don't move or make a peep. Ten minutes."

Kayla gaped, having never been in the corner for longer than five. Not even when she had accidentally locked Bucky on the balcony. She didn't say anything though, standing there and staring at the blank intersection of walls while silent tears ran down her face.

Steve went back in the kitchen to do whatever. He was reading through the texts on the phone in his hand, taking in the interactions.

Bucky wandered into the living room, frowning when he picked up the super quiet sniffles coming from his Little. It wasn't her usual 'I'm sorry for being naughty, guilty' crying, it was her 'something is wrong' crying. He moved over to her and gently turned her around, scooping her up without a word.

"She's in trouble. She needs to stay in the corner." Steve was suddenly in the doorway.

Bucky's eyes narrowed, Winter pressing at the edge of Bucky's consciousness in an effort to take over. This was not Steve. Winter was categorizing this person as a high level threat.

"She doesn't." Bucky spoke slowly, a hint of a Russian accent coming through.

"She got out of the crib without one of us in there and argued with me." Not-Steve glared.

"As long as she is Big, she can get out of the crib." Bucky explained coldly, feeling his Little pressing into his body fearfully. He caught a flash of light in the corner of his eye and knew JARVIS had alerted the others to an intruder. "As for arguing with you, you were going against something we have told her over and over is okay."

"Well it's not okay. She could hurt herself." Not-Steve made his eyes wide and worried, trying to look like a worried Caregiver.

"Not likely." Bucky gritted his teeth, wanting to give over to Winter but knowing they needed to find out where Steve was. "What I say is what goes."

"Aw, Buck. We're supposed to be a team." Not-Steve pouted slightly.

A very lovely emerald portal opened and Loki stepped through, glaring at the Not-Steve. "What business do you have here?"

"Loki." Not-Steve looked angry.

"Answer me." Loki commanded, 100% done. This was one of his former minions who had been attempting revenge on all of Thor's friends.

"Playing House." Not-Steve bared his teeth in a parody of a smile.

"Where is the Captain? Be quick or I'll take the answer from your mind and let the Soldier have his fun." Loki snapped, having been hunting this idiot for weeks.

"In a nice sleep." Fake Steve smiled and then screamed silently as Loki flicked his fingers out.

"Perhaps the Little One should not be in the room." Loki suggested to Bucky who growled but then handed the Little to Tony who had just flown in through the window which had somehow opened.

"Take her downstairs." Bucky rasped, harsh Russian escaping his mouth in a flow of curse words right after. Tony took her in the elevator though.

"Enjoy, Soldier. I will go gather your Captain." Loki had restrained the idiot's powers and revealed his true form. He watched for a moment as the Winter Soldier emerged and the beating that began. He stepped through another portal and looked over Steve's prone body.

He muttered to himself about stupid mortals and them always involved in things that did not concern them. He told himself he was only doing this because of his brother but really it was because of the Little one. He was a mother and he knew the Little one needed both of her caregivers.

Loki could fix this for her and so he would. He finished the antidote and poured it down Steve's throat, checking him once he woke up.

"Loki!" Steve rolled into a defensive crouch.

"Relax, Captain. I am here to take you back to your Little one and your Soldier." Loki rolled his eyes, wondering why he was being so nice to ungrateful mortals.

"My Little one! Kayla!" Steve was instantly anxious, straightening and realized he was nearly naked. A blush stained him from the tip of his ears down to on his chest.

"Here." Loki magicked up a robe and Steve put it on. He grabbed Steve and stepped through another portal, witnessing the end of the Soldier's rage. "How barbaric. The Little one is with Stark, Captain. You do not have to worry."

Steve rushed to Winter, throwing his arms around him and burying his face in his neck. "Winter."

Winter slowly put his arms around Steve, not even breathing heavily as he looked at the body on their living room floor. "My Steve."

"I'll be taking the body now." Loki waved his hand and the mess was cleaned up along with the body vanishing. Loki vanished right after, leaving only the scent of Wintergreen in the air. He hadn't gone home though. He had made a stop by Tony and Kayla.

 


	57. Sweet

Loki observed the Little One and Stark, seeing the way the genius wiped her tears with his sweater sleeve. The brash human was actually very gentle and loving with the Little, very much a contrast from the last time he had seen Tony Stark.

"What do you want, Reindeer Games?" Tony gently pushed the Little girl behind him, glaring at the trickster.

"I merely came to see if the Little One was alright. Her Captain and Soldier are anxious." Loki raised one shaped eyebrow, looking at Tony with a carefully neutral expression.

"Is Daddy okay?" Kayla spoke, peering around Tony and locking her wide eyes on Loki.

"Your 'Daddy' is just fine." Loki spoke very gently, sensing she was teetering on the edge of her Little-Space.

"And Mama?" Kayla’s fingers were on her chin, very close to her mouth. 

"He too is okay." Loki reassured her right as the Avengers Alarm went off and JARVIS informed Tony that it was a full team call.

"Sonovabitch!" Tony swore. He didn't have anyone to watch the Little because Peter was at his Aunt's for the day and Pepper and Happy were in Malibu. 

"I can watch the Little one." Loki offered, seeing the look of worry on Tony's face.

"You harm a hair on her head and I'm gonna blow you the fuck up." Tony glared.

"Language, Uncle Tony." Kayla frowned.

"Sorry, Princess." Tony smiled and kissed her cheek, gave Loki a look and went off.

"M'not Little. I can watch myself." Kayla was very stubborn. 

"Perhaps. But your Uncle has told me to stay." Loki looked at her. "Shall we go back to your floor?"

"Okay." She agreed, following Loki after grabbing a sweater that she knew was Peter's. She pulled it on over her pajamas that she had put on after climbing out of her crib. She was soaked though and had a rash beginning.

Loki made it look like he was not paying attention to her, gauging her headspace by how she reacted. She edged closer, not enough to be pressed against his side but enough he could touch her by raising his finger. He waited a bit longer, watching her reflection as she stuck her fingers on her left hand into her mouth and grabbed his hand with her right one.

Loki didn't make a big deal, simply smiled and led her to her nursery for a change. She squirmed slightly but he made his magic form dancing animals above her face. The distraction worked and he subtly healed the rash with his magic, tutting quietly that Stark hadn't changed her. He managed to get a white onesie with the feet onto her, pulling Peter's sweater back over her head after.

"There, Little One." Loki chuckled as she reached for him, lifting her into his arms and snagging a Stag patterned pacifier. Loki was softer, more gentle and kind when around children and Littles. He was a mother and he missed being needed like caregivers and parents so often were. His own children had been taken by Odin as punishment and to make him more obedient but it had made him bitter and angry. "Now for breakfast."

"Nanas?" The little sounded hopeful, she loved bananas a lot.

"Porridge with bananas, Little Dear. Bananas are not a whole breakfast." Loki explained, making his way to the kitchen and using his magic to make the food when it became apparent that she was not going to let herself be put in the highchair. He didn't find fault with her for that though. It had been a very rough morning so far so it made sense that she would want to be held. 

Loki sat with her in his lap, feeding her the porridge after making sure it wasn't too hot. He smiled each time she would look up at him, silently reassuring her that all was well. The god wiped her face with a wet cloth and huffed a laugh as she turned her face into his chest. She inhaled deeply a few times, smelling his scent.

"What are you doing, Sweet child?" Loki stroked the soft hair of the Little.

"Mells nice." Kayla muttered, closing her eyes. It was naptime according to Steve's schedule for her and her body had it deeply ingrained. She curled more, clutching Loki's shirt in her hand. "Blankie?"

"Let us go to the living room." Loki carried her, summoning the aforementioned blanket and tucked it around her once he sat in the comfortable rocking chair. He slowly started to rock, humming a lullaby that Frigga had sang to him when he was small. His heart thudded painfully at the remembrance that this was not his child nor his Little. He had no one waiting for him at home besides Thor and Mother.

The god continued rocking even after she was sound asleep, her dreams guarded by Loki's magic. 

~Later that day~

Steve and Bucky hurried onto the elevator, both anxious to see their Little. They burst off only to be shush by Loki who was rocking the Little awake. Her afternoon nap had just ended and she was slow to wake.

"Little One, it's time to wake up." Loki prompted, ignoring the two men in favor of waking the Little. His walls would go up as soon as she was out of his sight though.

"Nuh, Aun' Oki." Kayla mumbled tiredly, rubbing her face against his clothing.

"Look who is home." Loki gently turned her head, using his fingers on her chin. She blinked sleepily for a minute before smiling adorably.

"Mama... Dada..." Kayla yawned, rubbing her eyes. She had slept great, no scary dreams or restlessness. She slowly reached towards the super-soldiers, making grabby hands.

Bucky came forward and scooped her up. "Did you have fun, Baby Doll?"

"Un huh... Li' Aun' Oki." Kayla nodded, curling against Bucky's filthy gear which was suddenly cleaned with a flick of Loki's fingers. Loki didn't like the soldier much but the Little One couldn't be held against blood and other muck.

"I'm glad. Say Bye Bye." Bucky prompted gently, having sensed Loki's intent to leave.

"No bye bye." Kayla’s lower lip trembled.

"I have to go, Little One." Loki soothed. "With your caregivers permission, I will come visit again."

"That would be fine." Steve spoke now, also clean thanks to Loki. He stood next to Bucky and Kayla, looking at Loki gratefully. 

"Bye bye, Aun' Oki." Kayla waved at Loki who waved back and vanished. 

"Did you sleep good?" Bucky sat in the chair, inhaling the wintergreen scent left behind. 

"Milk, Mama." Kayla demanded, looking at Bucky's chest. Bucky chuckled and handed her off to Steve who had already removed his gear. Bucky took off his own gear, took her back and settled in for a nursing session.

"I'll get started on dinner soon." Steve put the gear away in his office, locking the door once he exited.

"Happy one year, Stevie. We've had our baby for one year." Bucky kissed her forehead softly then kissed her fingers when she touched his mouth. 

"Here's to many more." Steve smiled, knowing JARVIS had taken pictures for him. He made dinner for them, humming a long forgotten song his mother had always sang to him but he had forgotten until just then. He wasn't sure what had triggered the memory but it made him happy.

They ate in the living room, cuddled together on the couch. It was a special day even if it had gone terribky wrong. It was fixed now though and they were happily reunited.

"Nigh Nigh, Mama. Nigh Nigh, Dada." Kayla yawned, curled up in her crib. Bucky pressed a pacifier into her mouth and waited until she was asleep to leave. He hadn't even noticed the new stuffed animal in the crib with her, a black cat plushy with emerald green eyes that seemed to glow a bit.


	58. Finally

'And that was my year in review.' Kayla sat at her laptop, writing in the final words of her past year with finding her caregivers and their adventures. It had been the year of a lifetime.

"I love that you wrote it out for everyone to enjoy." Peter had an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. "Here's to another year with each other and everyone else. One day you could write a sequel of what happened after."

"Maybe. Or maybe we let the readers have their imagination fill in what happens for us next. Who knows? Maybe it will come true." The brunette joked, leaning into Peter's side.

"You didn't ever explain about your friends and family though." Peter noted, having read everything from the beginning.

"They weren't often around there. Besides, my conversations with them were more private and I would've needed their permission to really put them. It can be a fill in the blank." Kayla shrugged, tugging her favorite knitted blanket over their legs. "Maybe we could tell more but it feels right to end it here. This is the year in its edited form but as close to accurate as possible."

"Hopefully your Dada and Mama don't find your Wattpad and read the other things you've written." Peter snickered, squeezing her. 

"I would die. Straight up die." Kayla spoke seriously, looking horrified at the thought of Steve and Bucky finding it.

"Why would you die?" Bucky and Steve had just returned home.

"No reason." The little smiled sweetly, saving her story and closing the laptop down. "Just showing Peter some book I was reading."

"It was so good." Peter grinned, amused by his girlfriend's embarrassment. "I'll see you guys later. I need to go bug my Dad. He promised to help build some lego models with me."

The spider boy left in the elevator, grinning the whole time. He did in fact go harass Tony too.

"What a weird kid." Bucky muttered as Steve went over to their Little for a hug and a kiss.

"So what were you really up to?" Steve knew she had lied.

"Stuff." Was her deadpan answer. 

"That's just shady." Bucky used one of her favorite lines, sitting on the side that Steve had no claimed.

"Just writing something. Peter was reading it for me." Kayla admitted, happy in being between the two. She loved being close to them.

"Will we get to read it?" Bucky was curious.

"Maybe." Kayla shook her head, curling up to Steve's side and nuzzling against him. "Depends on if you promise not to make fun of me for it."

"We would never." Steve sounded offended, knowing he'd never make fun of her no matter what.

She reopened the laptop and pulled up the story, handing it to Bucky and closing her eyes. It was naptime and she felt she could sleep while they read.

Steve automatically moved her into his lap, tucking the blanket around her entire body as Bucky moved closer. They settled in and began to read the story of their adventures of the last year.

 

_ **The** **End** _


End file.
